Voyages of the Sea
by animeinsanity112989
Summary: Tales of love and adventure brew within the Straw Hat crew as Luffy finds Nami and Zoro overcomes Robin. Futuristic story with mostly LuffyxNami and ZoroxRobin. May contain AcexNojiko.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The salty sea air stung her face as it blew with the sail causing it to ride the waves at a speed faster than its normal pace. The sky was clear with only the sun in her way as it made its way across the sky on time. She looked out to the vast and clear sea, and with no land in sight, she sighed. For three days now, they've been sailing this part of the Grand Line and what worried her more was that she hadn't seen a single ship on these waters. But, she knew that this wouldn't bother her Captain for he was the only person that could be carefree in a moment of desperation.

"LUFFY! GET OUT!"

She could hear their cook, Sanji, yell like he did every time their Captain was in need for a snack.

The crashing and booming echoed after she heard Luffy shout back, "BUT SANJI! I'M HUNGRY!"

He ran out onto the deck as a frying pan flew past his ear. The commotion stopped as she leaned over the rail of the ship to see the sun reflect off of the dancing waves.

"Oi, Nami, whatcha doing?" Luffy asked as he walked up behind her.

"Nothing, I'm just getting a little fresh air." She told him while she continued to stare out to sea.

"That's no fun." He commented then something crossed his mind. "You should go get me a snack!" He smiled at her as she turned around to face him.

She loved his smile because it could tame and part the ferocious sea, but at the same time, it annoyed her that he could only think about his stomach when they needed to conserve food instead of waste it. So, she tightened her fist and threw it square between his eyes. "Baka," she muttered, "is food all you can think about?"

The punch had caught him off guard, and so he fell backwards and grasped at his face. "Nami," he whined, "please help me. I'm so hungry!"

"How could you be?" She retorted. "You had three helpings at breakfast and nearly five at lunch. You should be grateful that I'm letting you have dinner tonight." She fumed.

He crossed his arms across his chest and pouted like a five year old, which he acted often. Sometimes she couldn't believe that this boy was the one who defeated countless foes that ranked as high as the government with their bounties reaching to the millions.

"Fine, let me see what I can do." She thought of all the times that he rescued and saved her, so giving in to this one little task shouldn't be too hard but at the same time, she knew that she wasn't getting off her debt so easily. Making her way to the galley, she could hear Luffy's cheers of joy shout behind her. It was always easy to please him, just like a five year old.

"Yosh! Thank you Nami!" He called back to her when she crossed the threshold and into Sanji's territory.

"Sanji-kun!" She called and in a heartbeat he was already beside her awaiting for her command.

"Yes, Nami-swan?" He cooed as his eyes grew bright growing with impatience.

"Sanji-kun, I'm awfully hungry. Could you-?"

"Bring you a snack?" He finished for her. "Anything, my sweet." He dashed off after interrupting her and began to brew some coffee and prepare one of his famous "fancy" snacks, as Luffy liked to call them.

The thought of seeing Luffy's face when she would give him the snack excited her in a way. It was like handing a gift to a child on Christmas morning as his features would glow and he would begin to drool. She couldn't help but let out a smile.

"Ah, seeing you smile always brightens my day." Sanji handed her the coffee and beckoned her to sit while he finished with her snack.

She complied with his wishes and sat down at the table. She looked out and saw that Luffy was waiting patiently for her return. Again, she smiled at how simple-minded her Captain could be.

He placed the dish in front of her, breaking her free of her staring.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun." She smiled up at him knowing that this would melt him like butter. "Sanji-kun?" She beckoned as she got up from her seat.

"Yes?"

She faced him so that his back was to the threshold and she had a perfect view of Luffy. "Sanji-kun, could you tell me what's in it?" She cooed as she signaled for her Captain with her free hand that wasn't drawing circles on his chest.

"Well…" He started to list all of the ingredients that went into making the whatever-he-called-it as his cheeks flared up with redness.

She could see Luffy's arm stretch, which no other person could do, across the deck and enter the kitchen. It scuttled onto the table and grabbed the plate from where she had been sitting moments ago. Sanji noticed that Nami seemed a bit distracted and turned around to see his Captain's rubber arm make off with Nami's snack.

"Oi!" He yelled and stomped down on the thief causing him to release the plate.

"Sanji! I'm hungry!" Luffy moaned from across the deck as his arm slinked back into place across his chest.

"This is Nami-swan's snack!" He shouted back.

"Sanji-kun let him have it." She blew into his ear causing him to shake and shiver in delight. "It's better than having him eat all of my precious mikans."

"Well, to protect Nami-swan's precious mikans, fine. Oi, Luffy! Come here!"

With one giant leap, Luffy was able to cross the deck and stand right next to the pissed off cook. He smiled his toothy grin and took back the snack from Sanji's grasp, and sat down at the table. Nami could only giggle at how easily her Captain could get his way.

"Pank you, Mami." Luffy said as he chewed on "her" snack.

"Oi, oi, Luffy, if you keep eating like that, you'll get sick." Sanji warned him as he took out a cigarette from his pocket inside his vest and lit it up. He puffed out black smoke after taking a long drag on it.

"LAND HO!" All three of them dashed from the galley as they heard Usopp cry out from the crow's nest.

Nami looked down at her wrist and saw that her Log Posse was indeed pointing to this island.

_It seems we're a little ahead of schedule, though._ She thought as the crew scattered around preparing to dock.

As soon as they landed, she knew that they weren't going to stay very long since she could see the wanted posters from the docks. But, as always, no one else seemed to care and like always, Luffy was the first to jump from the ship.

"Oi, Luffy!" She called down to her Captain. "We can't stay long, so we're just getting supplies! Wait for me!"

He groaned but she glared at him causing him to pout. Sometimes she felt like she was the Captain.

She turned around to face the others, "Alright, listen up!" She called to them. "We're only here to restock on supplies so unless there is something that you don't need, stay on the ship! The rest of you break down to small groups so that we won't be easily detected." She climbed down the rope ladder first and waited for the others to follow. She knew that Luffy didn't need supplies, but she also knew that he needed to stretch his legs.

"Nami-swan! Wait for me!" Sanji called as he ran over to her. Chopper and Franky were close behind and she figured that the rest of the crew was going to wait on the ship.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Luffy cheered excitedly as he ran off towards the town.

* * *

Zoro sat himself down by the mast and leaned his head back to see a cloud roll by. He could see Robin across the deck as she sat down with a book already open. He knew that Usopp was up in the crow's nest looking down as passersby marveled up at the ship. A light breeze blew his hair east. Or was it west? Maybe south, who knew? All he knew was that the wind was blowing as the sun cast shadows across the deck. This was his favorite time of day to take a nap, besides mid-morning.

Just as he closed his eyes to darkness, he felt the ship shift and shake. Opening his eyes, he saw that the clouds had gathered quickly as rain showered down from the heavens. He saw that the ship had drifted from the island, but not to the point where they couldn't get back. Robin had moved inside as Usopp took the helm. Even though his sense of direction wasn't as developed as Nami's, he could tell that they weren't anywhere near the others.

"OI, USOPP!" He screamed so that the Sharp Shooter could hear him. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

"WE HAVE TO FIND SHELTER FOR THE SHIP! THE WAVES ARE GETTING TOO ROUGH!" He called back.

"Shit…Luffy, I hope you're okay with this." Zoro cursed under his breath.

* * *

"Ah! Where's the ship?" Nami squealed as the storm picked up. She could've sworn that they had docked the ship at the place where they were standing now.

"Are you sure this is the right dock?" Luffy asked.

Nami was about ready to punch him in the face for the second time today. "Of course I'm sure. I'm not Zoro and besides, I'm _your_ Navigator!" She fumed as she panicked.

"Don't worry, Nami-swan! I'll find the ship!" Sanji offered. He grabbed both Franky and Chopper and started to run along the docks, leaving Nami and Luffy alone.

"Well, this is great." She muttered as the rain poured down. "They probably went to seek a hiding spot where the waves weren't too rough."

"Don't worry, Nami." Luffy smiled at her and placed his straw hat on top of her head so that she wouldn't get wet, but it was already too late. She was soaked.

"Come on, Luffy." She beckoned for him as she headed back into town. She knew that others would be alright for one night. Besides, she wasn't going to wait for them now.

"Nami-swan, I'm sorry I couldn't find the ship!" Sanji called for her outside her hotel room.

She had enough money, after shopping, for two rooms and so she isolated herself form the men. If it wasn't for Robin being apart of the crew, she would've gone insane from all of the pigs on board.

"Sanji-kun, go back to your room otherwise I'll make you sleep out in the rain!" She threatened so she could have some peace and quiet.

"Aye, aye, sir!" He called and she could hear his footsteps retreat down the hall.

She sighed as she wrapped her wet orange hair into a dry white towel. Before she had gotten into the shower, she had placed her wet clothes by the heating duct. They were still a bit cold and damp, but the heat was doing its magic. She stared out the window as the rain beat harder on the glass. The softness and warmth of the white bathrobe started to warm up her frozen body as the steam from her shower misted throughout her room.

The loud clang of thunder broke her concentration as the flash of lightning brought her to a new thought. Placed by the window was a dresser and she noticed a not too foreign object resting upon it. She saw Luffy's hat and remembered that she forgot to return it.

"Oi, Nami!"

She heard another bang now, but it wasn't outside her window.

"Nami!" He called again.

Luffy had impeccable timing as if he was listening to her every thought. She heard a click at her door and turned around to see the remnants of fingers slide from under her door. The door flew open as Luffy rushed in.

"Luffy!" She screamed as he made his way to the dresser. He picked up his hat and placed it on his head before turning around to smile at her.

"You forgot to give me my hat back." He chuckled as the redness in her cheeks flared up. "What's wrong, Nami? Are you sick?" He saw her blushing and thought that she was coming down with something, so he took one giant stride and was standing right in front of her.

She blushed even harder as she felt his warm hand touch her forehead. Why wasn't she shouting at him to leave? She was too stunned to move or push him away.

"You don't seem warm…" He mumbled to himself. "Should I go get Chopper?" He asked her pointing towards the door.

"No, I'm fine, Luffy. Get out." She told him, but she didn't raise her voice like usual.

He looked quizzically as he saw her skin start to flush instead of burn bright red. "I'll go get Chopper." He said and started to head towards the door.

She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him, but suddenly, she felt really tired and weak. He turned around at her touch just in time to catch her. Darkness washed over her as she heard her Captain shouting her name.

"CHOPPER!" Luffy screamed for his doctor while he was thinking of how happy he was that the little reindeer had come along. He could feel Nami's breathing sped up as he continued to hold her in his arms.

"Luffy? What are you doing in-?" Chopper stopped as he saw Luffy holding Nami in his arms. "What happened?" He asked as he ran up to the two.

"I touched her forehead and she fell asleep. I think she's sick."

"Put her on the bed." The little reindeer ordered and as Luffy put her on the bed, the towel on her head fell off. He started to rummage through his little backpack and cursed when he remembered that most of his medicines were still on the missing ship. "Luffy, could you go into the bathroom and run this under the water?" He handed his Captain the towel that fell off of Nami. "Make sure that it's cold!" He called again as Luffy made his way to the bathroom.

"Oi, what's going on?" Sanji asked when he walked in. He was walking down the hall and saw that Nami's door was open. When he heard all of the screaming, he decided to take a look to see if Nami was alright.

"Nami is sick." The doctor reported as he took out a stethoscope from the bag. He pressed the cold metal against her chest. He had opened her bathrobe a bit, but it didn't reveal anything that Nami would punish him with later.

"My Nami-swan is sick? Why didn't anyone find me?" Sanji started to panic as "his" Nami began to quicken her breaths to short, shallow gasps.

Luffy rushed back from the bathroom with the dripping wet bath towel in his arms. It left a small trail of water as he made his way back over to her bed. He saw that Sanji had come in and was kneeling beside her, grabbing her hand and humming a tune to make her feel better.

"Good. Luffy, put that on her forehead."

"Right." He did as he was told and placed the large, wet towel on her forehead. He saw how her body shivered at the feel of the ice water.

"We have to get her back to the ship." Chopper mumbled. "Otherwise, she might not make it."

"Yosh, then I'll go and find the ship." Luffy said.

"I'll go with you. I won't let my Nami-swan die." Sanji said as he got up from his knees. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag before letting the black smoke rise to the ceiling.

"Don't forget Franky, Luffy. I'll stay here and watch over Nami."

"Right, let's go Sanji."

Chopper watched as both his Captain and the Cook made their way out of the hotel room and down the hall. Hopefully, they brought Franky with them so that he wouldn't have to be alone with him. As much as he liked his new nakama, there was something about him that made him a bit nervous.

"Stay with me…" Nami mumbled in her unconsciousness.

Chopper looked back down at the woman. He could feel her body heat rising more slowly than before and thought if this was progress or not.

"Luffy…" She mumbled.

* * *

_Damn these winds…_

Zoro looked out from within the galley as the remaining crew members took shelter there. Since the winds and the rain weren't letting up, they were going to have to sleep in here tonight even though that the others were still out there in the storm. He couldn't shake this feeling of premonition.

"Kenshi-san?" Robin looked over at him as he continued to stare out into the storm. There was something unusual about his posture that was concerning her. It felt as though he knew something she didn't.

He turned his head around to face her. Her big blue eyes were in his face and that nearly startled him. He never realized how beautiful this woman could be, but he always told himself that beauty always led to danger so he tried to distance himself away from her.

"What's wrong?" She asked in a voice so sweet it sounded like she was a mother worrying for her child.

"Nothing." He told her and turned away to stare out towards the woods not too far from where they docked.

It was a small cove where the waves didn't seem to find interesting, so their ship was safe from any sudden attacks. The forest outside was a barrier between them and regular civilians who could detect and report them, so it served as a very good camouflage.

Both he and Usopp tried their share at cooking that night's dinner, but failed when they both set the food on fire. If Robin wasn't on board, they probably would've set the ship on fire or worse. They could've starved.

Usopp was stupidly braving the winds so that he could tie down any loose cargo below and outside, but Zoro knew that it wasn't necessary. So, he was stuck with _her_. He tried not to think of her name or face or anything about her so that he wouldn't be sucked into her grasp like the others, especially that ero-cook of theirs. She had everyone wrapped around her finger but him, and he smiled at the thought. He could out stand even the most tempting temptress.

"Kenshi-san, what are you laughing at?" She asked as she, too, smiled at his joy even though she had no idea why he was smirking.

He continued to ignore her as the rhythmic pattern of the wind and rain started to make him tired. But, since he didn't trust this temptress, he pushed his will harder than any training could help so that he could stay awake.

"Kenshi-san, I know you may be ignoring me, but you look a little too tired for that. How about you get some sleep and I'll watch for sunaipa-kun." She smiled at him.

"No, I'll get some sleep when the storm lets up." He muttered even though that even if the storm let up before morning, he wouldn't fall asleep so long as she was in the same room.

"Please, kenshi-san, you would feel better if you had some sleep." She cooed which sounded very convincing, but his will was keeping him going.

"I don't need," he yawned and stretched his arms over his head, "sleep."

"Ahhhh! Finally!" Usopp burst through the galley door, letting in some of the storm behind him. His clothes were soaked while raindrops dripped from his long nose.

"You do know that was completely pointless." Zoro told him as his eyelids began to droop and fail him.

"It wasn't pointless!" He argued back.

"Now, now." Robin held up her hands in defense for Zoro. "No bickering please. We need to survive tonight and I think that comes before fighting." She put her opinion in before teeth were to roll.

"Whatever." Zoro mumbled as he placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head into his hand, closing his eyes in defeat. Since the storm started, he wasn't able to take his afternoon, late afternoon, and evening naps today causing his body to fail and shut down in this great time to defend himself.

Usopp walked over to the corner of the galley and began to tinker with some of his new ideas while Zoro's head fell to the table, hard. Robin giggled and at the sound of the slight noise, he brought his head up immediately. He no longer faced his body towards the door incase of suspicion, so he was now facing Robin and he could see every detail of her temptress face.

Women were nothing but trouble that usually caused men delight in their sins or at least, that's how Zoro sees it. He saw Robin's beautiful eyes rest upon his as she imitated his gesture, cupping her hand underneath her chin to rest quietly and peacefully on the table. When she smiled, she never revealed her teeth so her slim but full lips puckered out to show her happiness as would her teeth if she chose to do so. Her eyes closed as her tan skin reddened a tad, but with Zoro's sharp eyes, he noticed it unlike anyone else. Had she always blushed when she smiled at him?

"Zoro! Robin! Usopp!" A loud and familiar voice was yelling, but it didn't register into the minds of the crew since it was so far away. It sounded more like a murmur.

"Yo, Usopp, did you say something?" Zoro asked the busy Sharp Shooter.

"No, I thought that was you." He replied.

They both looked at the woman whose smile ceased.

"Sencho-kun?" She muttered under her breath.

Zoro looked out at the window and saw nothing but rain and the debris of leaves and branches wash across the deck. He didn't see Luffy or any of the others, but he could hear something a bit more distinct howling just as much as the wind.

"ZORO! ROBIN! USOPP!" The screaming had increased since the last time that they heard it, and now it sounded as though the screaming tripled in size.

Zoro heard his name clearly this time and leapt from his seat. He left the temptress behind in the dry and safe room while he ran out onto the deck to scan the surrounding forest.

"Oi, Luffy! What's going on?" He shouted since he knew that wherever his Captain was he could hear him.

In the matter of seconds of stepping out onto the deck, his hair was drenched causing the built up raindrops to fall into his eyes as the rain made his shirt see through. He gripped all three katanas at his side waiting for the orders he so desperately needed to get through the night.

A shuffling out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn around and nearly slip on the slick wood as he saw someone appear out of the forest. Actually, it was a couple of someones who appeared out of the forest and each one of them was very distinct and familiar. The first to appear was a boy wearing a straw hat while a blond man with black smoke engulfing his head was right behind as was a tall and loud man with blue hair. Three members of the Straw Hat Pirates were in sight, but they were still missing two other people.

"Marimo, get Chopper's medical bag!" Sanji called up to him.

"Luffy, what's going on?" He ignored the perverted cook's call as he turned to his Captain waiting for his command which was the only law that he followed.

"Get Chopper's medicine! Nami's sick!" His Captain shouted up at him as Zoro swore under his breath.

_Damn those women…_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zoro rushed back inside and didn't even bother to look at the temptress. He ran over to the oblivious Sharp Shooter who was still tinkering with whatever he was making.

"Oi, Usopp!" He yelled.

Startled at the tone of Zoro's voice, he dropped his components and turned around to stare up at the drenched swordsman. His eyes were blazing with determination and this clueless crewmate had no idea of what.

"Oi, Usopp!" He repeated.

"What?"

"Where's Chopper's medical bag?" He asked as he shifted his weight with impatience.

"Kenshi-san, why don't you look behind you?" He heard the woman ask and he dared not to look for he knew that there would be something behind those eyes that would entice him to stay and forget about an endangered nakama.

"Oi, Zoro, looks like Robin has the bag." Usopp told him since Zoro didn't turn around.

Without hesitation, he turned around and ran over to the woman who continued to smile at him. He couldn't look at her right now so he snatched the bag from her hand almost a little ashamed at himself that he could do that to her.

_I don't have time for this. I have to give Luffy this bag._

He nearly broke the door to the galley as he rushed out into the storm. The other crew members below didn't have time to climb up the ship to find the bag so he threw it down towards them. It was easily caught by Luffy's stretching hands and he felt a bit relieved to leave his Captain in charge of Chopper's given task. He hoped that they would make it back in time.

"I'll bring the ship around once the waves let up!" He called out to his nakama.

Without a word from the others, he knew that they understood and would be waiting for that promise. He couldn't fall asleep now.

* * *

"Hang in there, Nami. Luffy should be back any minute now." All Chopper could do was talk to the unconscious woman. Her breathing had sped and now she was experiencing spasms that seemed unknown to the doctor.

"Luffy…" She muttered again as beads of sweat rolled down from her forehead to her chin before falling onto the sheets underneath her.

"Nami…" Chopper hushed under his breath. He wiped away the fresh sweat with a cold towel that Luffy had moistened earlier.

"Don't go…Come back…"

_I wonder what she's dreaming about._

"CHOPPER!"

The doctor's ears twitched at the familiar voice that was traveling up the hall. It was his Captain and hopefully he was able to get the thing that could mean life or death for Nami.

"CHOPPER!" He called again and this time he was no more than a couple of doors down.

"Luffy…" Nami gasped.

_I guess that even Nami can hear her rescue._

Luffy stormed back into Nami's hotel room and nearly crashed into the wall opposite the door. He skidded out of the way just in time and tossed the little black medical bag to the doctor. Chopper didn't catch it, but that was okay since it landed safely onto the soft bed. He opened up the contents of the bag and spilled all of them out onto the bed while he dug through the herbs and containers searching for something that he could use to reduce her fever. If he got the fever first, then he could concentrate on anything else that could be affecting her system.

Her breathing picked up as she felt Luffy's presence within the room. "Luffy…" She called out in her feverish dream.

He knelt down beside her and rested his chin on the edge of the bed. Seeing his nakama like this tore at his heart, but this wasn't the first time he had felt this. Before they gained Chopper as a nakama, Nami was sick like this and he remembered how heartbroken she made him feel. The same pain crept back into his system as he watched his navigator whither in pain and most likely nightmares.

"Stay…" she muttered.

"Don't worry, Nami. I won't go anywhere." He promised as his stare continued. He watched his doctor work on her, but it looked, to him, that nothing was working until Chopper looked over at him with a smile spread wide across his little face.

"She'll make it through the night, but once dawn breaks, we have to bring her back on the ship." He told him.

Luffy looked back over at the orange haired woman and saw that her sweating was decreasing and her breathing was slowing. Whatever Chopper did, he did his magic and this made the Captain that much grateful that he had him as a nakama.

"Thank you, Chopper." Luffy mumbled.

"Oi, Luffy?" The little reindeer asked. "Where's Sanji and Franky?"

"Oh, we got into trouble as we were running in the woods. I wanted to kick their asses, but Sanji told me to get you your bag first."

"Do you still want to kick their asses?"

"Yeah, but I already know it's too late. They should be getting back soon." He sounded almost monotonic in this state. Seeing his Captain like this almost tore at the doctor's heart. It wasn't Luffy.

"Okay, but she'll be fine so how about you get some sleep. You look like you need it." Chopper hopped down from the bed and headed towards the door leaving Luffy and Nami alone.

"Luffy…please stay…" She begged in her sleep.

"Don't worry, Nami. I'm not going anywhere." He promised her and continued to look at her.

* * *

"Kenshi-san, what's going on?" Robin asked as Zoro finally calmed down.

Ever since those three left, he couldn't stop thinking about what was happening when he wasn't around. He was supposed to be Luffy's first mate, but so far he was being useless. Although he never cared to be a pirate when they first started out, he now felt like he owed a much larger debt to his Captain than before from what they have gone through together. Knowing that one of his nakama was in danger was killing him inside, even if it was that orange haired devil woman.

Robin placed her hand on his shoulder for some unknown comfort, but it didn't help that she didn't know what was going on. She had helped him with his search for ishi-kun's medical bag, but after that, he didn't speak a word causing him to isolate himself from both her and sunaipa-kun.

"Damn…" He swore under his breath at Robin's touch.

"Zoro-kun, I-"

He turned around to face the temptress that he was trying to ignore and looked her dead on in her icy blue eyes. "Did you just call me Zoro-kun?" He asked not remembering what he was thinking beforehand. He had never heard Robin call anyone by their first name even though she added "kun" afterwards. She was always so formal with everyone that he was a bit shocked when she broke that pattern.

"Yes, and I-"

"You never call anyone by their first names." He stated more towards himself than to her.

"Yes, I know, but I-"

"Wh-" This time he was cut off when a hand surprisingly shot out from his shoulder and covered his own mouth.

"I did it to get your attention. Now, please, let me finish." She took a deep breath in. "I want to know what's going on and please don't spare me of the details." She released his mouth and stared deeply into his eyes.

Now it was his turn to brandish a little pink across his cheeks for her gaze was too much. Being the temptress that she was, her beauty could scare even the bravest of men or at least, that's how Zoro looked at what she was doing. He diverted his eyes from hers but he could still feel them burning into his skin. This was going to be impossible if she didn't stop staring.

He cleared his throat before speaking, "Nami's sick and Luffy came by to get Chopper his medical bag. We are to depart from this spot as soon as the waves die down." He gave her the full report, or up to the point where he was informed.

"Nabigeta-san is sick? What can we do?" Robin asked, all of the humor and playfulness leaving her eyes. She, too, knew the pain of an injured nakama and just the thought of Nami withering in pain made her shiver with the chills rolling down her spine.

"Oi, Zoro, do you mean that there's something wrong with Nami?" Usopp asked as he took a seat next to the two other nakamas.

"Well, with the look in Luffy's eyes, yeah. I would say that there is something dangerously wrong with that woman." Zoro told him.

"Of course there's something wrong with her. Haven't you noticed?" Usopp spoke up as their eyes all stared into his. He began to sweat. "Well, I mean, she is kinda stingy and she's-" He was cut off as Robin conjured up a hand over his mouth to silence his inappropriate behavior.

"Now, now, sunaipa-kun. Nabigeta-san is wonderful to have around." Robin stood up for her since she couldn't defend herself.

Zoro and Usopp both looked at each other in disbelief. Since when has Nami ever been nothing but stingy?

She saw their looks and glared at them both. Even though she's had a rough start with the crew, she knew she could trust them, even Nami who at times seemed like a very forceful woman. Nami, though, did act like a sister to her when times grew difficult and since she grew up with no siblings of her own, Nami was the closest to a sister than she's ever had.

Zoro sighed and stood up trying to get a better view of the storm. He hoped that it would die down so that they could send the ship back into port and they could go help their fallen nakama.

"Kenshi-san, I think you should get some rest before we head out. You'll need your sleep whether you can do something or not." Robin told him.

He only ignored her and grunted. The rain outside was the only thing that seemed like reality right now, so he made his way out the door. The coolness of the storm soothed his rapidly heating skin as it soaked through his only clean shirt.

_What the hell are we doing? We're just sitting here while my nakama need me; okay, maybe not that shitty cook, but everyone else does._

He knew that he was bad with directions, so if he was going to set sail now, he was going to need someone who knew their way around the cove. He ran back into the galley to stun the faces of the remaining crew. He could tell that his own face was probably raged and horrifying but that didn't stop him from approaching the Sharp Shooter.

"Usopp, prepare the ship. We're going back to port." He told him, but he failed to notice Robin's smile return to her lips.

* * *

_She was older, much older. With her hair reaching down past her shoulders, she could tell she had aged. Two children were screaming right before her and so she peered down into the cribs to see a baby girl wrapped up in a pink blanket and a baby boy wrapped up in a light sky blue blanket. They cried out for her attention and reached up for her, so she picked up the little girl._

_Her small hands reached up and touched her face, sending chills down her spine. The soft and supple skin of the infant felt so familiar that she was frightened of the child. Then, she pulled back the blanket that was hiding the child's face and gasped. It was like looking into a mirror that came from the fountain of youth._

_The small infant had her bright orange hair and her big, round brown eyes. The child smiled at her revealing her pink gums and two small dimples by the corners of her mouth. Nami had to put a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. This baby girl was an exact clone of herself as a baby._

_This worried her, making her heart race in her rib cage. Her breathing rapidly grew worse and she could feel herself start to sweat._

This is bad._ She thought to herself._

Or is it good?_ Another voice purred in thought._

"_Nami!" She heard a voice call out to her and automatically turned around at the familiarity of the voice._

"_Luffy…" She muttered._

_She placed the baby girl back down in her crib and glanced back at the boy. She could see a little hand pop out from under the blanket as Luffy's voice grew louder. He beckoned for her to pick him up._

"_Nami…"_

_She turned around, again, at her name being called and saw Luffy inches away from her face. He looked much older with his ebony hair in his eyes and purple bruises shadowed his sockets. His jeans were tattered as usual with his red vest all the way unbuttoned, revealing his nicely carved abdomen of which she had never acknowledged._

"_Luffy…" She breathed. She was stunned to see her Captain in this wasteland of nowhere. Although, she concluded the fact that he probably chose this destination like he chose most of the adventures that he decided looked "fun"._

_He looked down her confused and frightened face and smiled. "How are they?" He asked, nodding towards the cribs when Nami was struck dumb at his question._

_She looked behind her and saw the infant boy reach up for her. Luffy's hands brushed against her shoulder sending chills down her spine before picking up the little boy. Surprisingly, he wasn't being loud and child-like as usual as he held the fragile child in his arms. It was as if this Luffy had grown up overnight. This wasn't the Luffy that she knew._

But he's still Luffy._ She told herself._

"_Don't you want to hold him?" He asked questionably, handing the infant over to her._

_She was actually afraid to hold the child. She was afraid of whom he might look like, but Luffy kept on insisting. So, she took hold of the small infant and brought him close to her chest so that she could free a hand. She brought the blanket behind the boy's head to reveal ebony hair as dark as a raven's feathers. His eyes were big, round, and bright like his father's with the grin and grip to prove it._

_She looked up at Luffy who was now holding the infant girl and saw him smile at her. It was her favorite smile of his that showed no fear, hate, or greed. Only love, protection, and kindness seeped through allowing her body to radiate the warmth. She smiled back in understanding. These children were theirs._

_But something happened. Luffy handed the little girl to Nami. She cried along with her brother as Luffy leaned in and kissed Nami on the cheek. She was stunned at first but when she saw him leave, that broke her from her sudden state of shock._

"_Wait…Luffy…!" She tried to scream for him, but he was already out of sight. "Don't go…" She slumped down to her knees with both of the children crying and started shouting in her ears. "Stay…Luffy…" She started to cry._

* * *

"Stay…Luffy…" A tear rolled down Nami's cheek as she struggled internally with whatever nightmare she was having.

Luffy continued to watch over his sick nakama as she cried every half an hour. He caught the tear on his finger before it fell onto her pillow and sighed. He loved his nakama and each one of their battles was his own, but when he couldn't do anything about their struggles, it tore him into pieces. No longer could he hold himself into one piece but fall into despair over his navigator.

"Oi, Luffy." Sanji spoke. He arrived hours ago, but he has been quiet since then. "Luffy, I think you should get some sleep. Nami-san will be fine since I'm here to watch, so how about you get some rest before we set off in the morning."

Luffy was unusually quiet as he stared into the tear on his finger.

"There will be more bounty hunters, and who knows, maybe there'll be marines coming back to claim our heads." Sanji continued after lighting a fresh cigarette. "We'll need our strength to get away from here faster. We can't kick all of their asses if we want to get a head start." He added for his Captain's amusement, but looked away when he noticed nothing different in his mood.

He nodded in understanding but continued to stare at the unconscious woman before him. She winced in pain as she grabbed hold onto the sheets of her bed. Whatever was happening to her was bothering Luffy greatly to the point where he wanted to travel in her dreams and beat whoever's ass that was causing this to her.

"Nami…" He mumbled as she started to scream. Again, this didn't surprise him for she had been screaming on and off since midnight. "Please, wake up…" A tear crept from the corner of his eye and rolled down his rubbery cheek.

* * *

_**I know that this "illness" is pretty unbelievable, but in actuality it's not really an illness, but fatigue that takes over and that's why she's stuck in this "comatose" state. The feelings in the dream, though, have caused her nakama, including the perfect doctor Chopper, to believe that she was in danger with her life. That's why it happened like this because if you were a nakama in Luffy's crew, wouldn't you get a little fatigued now and then? And yes, I know, that the whole "she has a deadly illness and it happened overnight" thing is pretty ridiculous, but I needed something to get started on this fanfic. I'm pretty scatter brained so it was difficult for me to start this, but just you wait and see of what I have in store for you. Thanks for reading and please positively read & review. **_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She could feel the strength of ten men underneath her own weight as wind blew her hair into her eyes. No longer could she feel sweat or panic in her system, but dry clothes and safety. She still didn't open her eyes for, even though she felt safe, her system was telling her to stay isolated from the world just a bit longer so that she didn't have to feel its turmoil or despair. But why would she be afraid or sad or even in harms way? She felt safe and that should be enough to wake up.

Slowly but surely, she opened her eyes. The sky was clear unlike the day before where she remembered that it was filled with hateful clouds that wished to rain upon her and the rest of the crew. It rushed by her as the wind increased. The arms underneath her tightened as they felt her body weight shift. She looked up at the boy's face to see that it was awfully familiar; in fact, she could tell whose face that was even if she was blind folded and hit over the head with a sledge hammer. Luffy was running with her in his arms.

"Luffy…?" She mumbled since she couldn't form any functional words yet. Her mouth was too dry.

"Ah, Nami!" He cheered through gasps of air.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she tried to look around for her surroundings that seemed unusual to her.

"We're going back to Sunny." He told her as a smile crept onto his face. It was the same smile from her dream only this one was younger less experienced even though that he had been through many hardships for his age.

"What happened?"

"Chopper said that you fell asleep and that you weren't sick." He chuckled as he dashed by trees and branches. "You scared me, Nami." He laughed.

I_ scared _you_? How can I scare one of the most powerful men in the world?_ She asked herself.

"Where are the others?" She asked, trying to get a hold on the present situation especially since Luffy was the only one running.

"They're with the marines." He laughed again.

"The marines? Luffy, we should go help!" Nami struggled in his arms, but his grip was firm keeping her in place.

"No need." He said. "They're going to meet us at the ship."

She sighed in relief and remembered that the whole crew was capable of defending against some simple marine lackeys, all except for herself. In this state of health, she was useless to Luffy and realized that it was her fault that he was missing out in what he called "fun".

"I'm sorry, Luffy." She muttered under her breath.

"Nani?"

"I should've taken better care of myself. I'm sorry that I'm dead weight."

"Hah!" He snorted and she glared up at him. "You're not dead weight, Nami. You're very important and that's why _I_'m taking you back. That way I'll know that you're safe." He explained which actually made some sense and in Luffy's case, that's rare.

She could smell salt in the air and tried to see if they were anywhere near the water yet. Lots of images appeared in her head as time seemed to fly by, no pun intended at the way Luffy was running. The silence was creeping back on her and she could no longer take it. For too long had Luffy been quite in her dream, and she wasn't going stand it any longer.

"Did you find the ship?" She asked, trying to break the dreaded silence.

"Aa," he nodded, "last night."

The salty smell burned her nostrils as they approached either the ocean or a small bay that would lead out into one. Her instincts were usually right and once again, they didn't prove false when Luffy rushed out into a clearing. At the edge of the clearing, ice gray water touched the base of shore spreading the flaring salt all around her senses, but there was one thing that seemed a bit off. There was no ship in this body of water. No yellow sun at the bow of the ship or the giant sail with their symbol, skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat.

"Uh, Luffy…" Nami murmured as her Captain stared out into the bay looking for their supposed ship, "where's the ship?" She asked.

"Well, it was here…" He muttered while he continued to search.

* * *

Zoro was glad that they were able to find port near the town and now all he had to do was wait for some sign of Luffy and the others. He paced across the deck which was unusual for him, but he didn't stop. He had noticed, once they dropped anchor, that there were hundreds of wanted posters with his face and the others as well. Now, this was the thing that worried him.

He knew that they were going to have to set sail as soon as everyone touched the hard wood planks of the ship so that bounty hunters or the marines couldn't get them. It wasn't like they were any trouble; it was more like they were annoying to deal with and so he wished that he could take a day off from them, just once.

He felt something grab at his ankle and pull him down onto the wood. He saw a hand clenched around his ankle. Nothing seemed unusual about the hand, except that it grew out from the wood of the deck. This ship wasn't able to produce a hand of its own, so his immediate reaction was to look back towards the galley.

And of course, there _she_ was. She stood by the galley's entrance with her arms crossed and a seductive smile spread wide at her amusement. That temptress was going to be the death of him.

"Kenshi-san, you're causing a rut to form." She said as she released him from her grasp.

He looked down at the deck that he just ruined. There were black footprints from his mud encrusted boots and they scuffed the surface; he knew that he was going to have to fix this mess when Franky finds out who was the cause.

"Damn…" He swore.

"Kenshi-san if it bothers you so much, why don't you go into town?" Robin suggested. From the look on Zoro's face, she knew that he wasn't that worried about the deck but more on the whereabouts of his crew.

"Because if I leave, then I know that Luffy and the others will find their way here and I'll only get myself lost." He grunted as he admitted his flaw in direction.

She had to stifle her laughter at his frustrated expression. Whenever he was annoyed or frustrated, he had a sort of humor about him that made him look more childish than grown. He was strong, yes, but when it came to everyday things, he seemed a bit lost and less protected than if he was in a fight. He could figure out a strategy when fighting a new foe easily, but this was a different side of him that wasn't predictable. When he was like this, he only intrigued her more.

"What if you had help?" She questioned bringing his focus to hers. Again, she had to blush at this thought, but that was when she let her own guard down. She knew how sharp his eyes were and how easily it was to detect her discoloration in her cheeks, but this only made it worse.

"Oi, you okay?" He asked, noticing a new color in her complexion. "Don't you be getting sick, too." He told her.

"No, no, I'm fine." She waved back his approaching gesture. "But I would like your answer."

"My answer?" He asked, not remembering what Robin had told him before her sudden flaring made him get sidetracked.

"Would you like help with those directions?" She repeated in a simpler manner.

"Oh, um…" This surprised the swordsman. He's had someone give him directions in the past, but for some reason, the thought of Robin, the temptress, helping him with directions made him a little nervous.

_Why am I feeling like this? I'm a man of blood and steel, and yet I can't stand up against this damn woman? What's wrong with me?_ He shook his head. _No, I'm not the problem, she is. I was perfectly fine until this devil of a woman appeared into my life. Now, I'm nervous around her all of the time and I can barely sleep because all I can think about is _her_._ He thought.

"Kenshi-san?" She asked.

He was startled to see her viper-like face and her icy blue eyes pour into his. She did, though, seemed oddly concerned for his mental health. _Ironic, huh._ He thought. _She's the one causing me to act like this, but she's worried for me. Who knows, maybe she can't sleep because he's doing the same thing to her._

"No, I'll wait here." He told her. "That way there'll be less confusion."

_Wow, I never knew how smart he was. Of course, I knew that he was great at strategy when it came to two simple things, life and death; but when it came to other things, I thought he was just as clueless as Sencho. I guess when you sleep for nineteen hours a day, you have nothing to do except think._ She thought.

He sat himself down by the mast and leaned his head back to gaze at the rolling clouds. The sky seemed to reflect the ocean's blue ever since the storm had ceased. He could feel Robin's presence standing next to him, so he closed his eyes in hopes that she would just go and leave him to his thoughts. But, it wasn't that easy.

She sat down next to him and imitated his exact gesture by leaning her head back against the mast, hoping that this is how she could clear her own head. As the sound of light snoring crept into her ears, she looked over towards Zoro and saw that he was finally getting the peaceful sleep that he had been lacking. Seeing him act like he did last night tore her at her heart and now seeing him at his most vulnerable was comforting.

_Why do I torment myself?_ She thought. _Why couldn't they have left me when they had the chance? But yet, how could I live without them? If it wasn't for Luffy, hell I owe him ten lives, I don't think I would have ever felt this happy. It's been too long since I've felt this content and peaceful even if we're always out running the marines._

She smiled at this thought as the clouds rolled by overhead and Zoro's snoring grew louder. She wished that the others would hurry so that they could continue on their adventures, but at the same time, she wished that she could just have one moment of silence to continue to listen to kenshi-san's snores. He calmed her when she was going mad and he protected her when she couldn't keep up, but the most important thing that he does for her, without him noticing, is just existing. For some odd and unknowable reason, she felt that if he was to leave this crew or world she would have to follow him in some way possible. Robin laughed at her infinite emotions that continued to grow and outstand her, but her laughing was the only thing that seemed sane even if it brought insanity to her life.

Even though he was snoring and fast asleep under darkness's cloak, he could hear her laughter. He had heard her laugh before, but this wasn't her usual sighing-things-off kind of laugh, it was lighter hearted and carefree which was unusual for her. This temptress was starting to yank at his chains and for some goddamn reason; he would listen to this carefree laughing everyday. If he could make her laugh like this and protect her like always, then that would make him a happy man.

_But she's my _nakama_; I can't look at her like that. Besides, how do I even know that we can still trust her? She's put us through so much, but in a way, it was worth it. Why am I even questioning this? If Luffy's willing to risk his life for her, then I guess I should too. But, why? I know that I can't go against the Captain, but why do I have to trust her? Is it because my instincts are finally betraying me or can I not shake something from my system? I am I afraid to trust her? I am I afraid to give into my instincts? Aaagghh!_

"Kenshi-san!" Robin nearly screamed.

His eyes popped open as he grabbed Kuina's katana. It was the closest one placed to his hands so they always instinctively aim for that particular katana.

"What's wrong?" He scanned along the ship and saw that the woman's figure was leaning over the ship. He couldn't tell her emotion from behind, but yet his eyes couldn't look anywhere else but from her presence.

"I see the others." She said grimly as Zoro approached from behind, sheathing two of his three katana.

"Then, what's the problem?" He asked as his eyes couldn't release from her long raven hair and sandy tan skin.

She could feel Zoro hovering over her figure, radiating his body heat onto hers, and nearly blushed at the presence, but something seemed odd about how many of her nakama were running over. There were only three people in the small group when she knew that there were at least five of them that left and most importantly, she couldn't see a straw hat or a woman with bright mikan colored hair.

"I don't see Sencho-kun or Nabigeta-san." She mumbled with her eyes wide with worry, but not fear. She knew how strong her three hundred million beli Captain was and knew that he would find his way, but with him and the navigator missing, it made her worry for their safety.

* * *

"Luffy! How could you get us lost?" Nami yelled, still in her Captain's arms. She knew how strong he was and therefore her weight wouldn't harm him in any way.

"But Nami, I swear that Sunny was here." He pouted to her.

"I don't care if it _was_ here! I want to know where it is _now_!"

He pursed his lips in thought as the clouds rolled by overhead, clearing a way for good wind. After a moment of pondering, he sat Nami down on her feet and took a seat where he was standing only a moment ago.

She felt dizzy after being put down abruptly without notice and fell down to her knees from the lightheadedness. His eyes were closed as his arms were crossed along with his legs. He was as solid as a statue as he sat there in what Nami believed as patience.

"Luffy…" She stared at him. "What are you doing? We have to find the ship." She told him.

"I'm waiting." He murmured after some time of thought.

"For what?"

"For Sunny. Zoro will bring the ship back and then we can leave."

"Luffy…" She couldn't always believe that her Captain was actually a Captain, but he did have his moments. When it came to his nakama in any way, she knew that she could depend on his judgment, but when it came to him depending on Zoro, his first mate, she couldn't always believe him.

_You better not get lost, baka._

* * *

_**Sorry for not uploading all week, but I've been busy with school and all that. So, I know that this is going a bit slow, but like I've already told you, I'm a bit scattered brain so when it comes to sticking to a storyline, it's a bit hard. I'm trying to go as fast as I can so that I can get to the actual story that gave me this idea in the first place. Keep on reading and reviewing that way I know if I should keep continuing or not.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The sun was nearly setting now and by judging from it, nearly six hours had past. Yet, he still sat there staring out towards the horizon. She sighed as the sun sat down on the horizon another inch and still no ship arrived. Looking over at her Captain, Nami only saw determination and trust in his eyes that almost grew red from lack of rest. Seeing Luffy like this almost made her want to cry. But, as stubborn as he was, he deserved it.

She didn't ask for him to spend the whole night watching her. In fact, she didn't know what drove him to do such a thing. Was it because she was his nakama and that made him worry? Or, was it because she meant something more than a nakama to him?

_What am I thinking?_ She asked herself. _Luffy is my friend, savior, Captain, and nakama. Why am I thinking about things like that? How could I think of things like that? Was it the dream?_ She looked out to sea and back at her Captain. _What was he thinking?_

"Oi, Nami."

Her eyes grew wide with surprise at her Captain's first words in over six hours.

"What, Luffy?"

"What were you dreaming about?" He turned to look at her.

She blushed as the dream reappeared into her head. There were moments within it that she would've kept, but the same crippling fear kept crawling back into her head. She was left alone with two living human beings that depended on her for protection and nurturing, but why would Luffy leave her alone when she needed his help? He was the only one who seemed to know of what was going on and yet, he didn't help her. Why?

"Nami?" His large black eyes burned into her wide brown ones as she snapped back into reality.

"Oh, it was nothing, really." She lied as she tried to smile at him, but he wouldn't look away. He kept staring at her as her smile started to fade. For some odd reason, he always knew when she was hiding something.

"Nami…" He sighed.

"Luffy, trust me. It was nothing and I'm fine, okay?" She broke the gaze from him first, trying to look out onto the horizon for the ship.

He grabbed her chin within his tight but gentle grasp and pulled her eyes to look back at his. He studied her features on her face before sighing again.

"Luffy?" She murmured as her lips pursed under the hold.

"Something was causing you pain, please, tell me what it was." He commanded firmly but kindly.

"I'm telling you. It was nothing, so can we get over it and set up a camp for the night? It looks like the baka got lost again." She closed her eyes so that he would stop looking at her. "We'll have to spend the night out here." She sighed.

He nodded in agreement and released her. He stood up to stretch his tight muscles.

"Yosh, then I'll go get the firewood. Nami, you stay here incase the ship comes back, got it?" He smiled at her like the previous conversation didn't happen.

"H-Hai…" She nodded, nearly speechless from his whole mood swing.

_What was that just now? Why couldn't I tell him what really happened? What the hell is going on with me? First, I dream about him, and now, I can't even open up to him? What is happening?_

* * *

"I wonder what Nami was dreaming about…" Luffy muttered as he walked deeper and deeper into the forest. It was getting darker now, but even with the darkness, there was no way that he wouldn't find his way back. Nami was in a weakened state right now, so he couldn't leave her without any protection. What kind of Captain would he be if he left his nakama without defense?

'_Don't go…Come back…'_

Those words still rang in his ear even after she had woken up. Her face was contorted into pain and it pierced through his heart at the time. What was she dreaming about that would make her feel this pain and place it upon him as well? He remembered the last time that she had felt that pain and even as the memory reappeared in his head, it tugged at the corners of his heart. Arlong had caused her so much pain in her childhood and even when she became an adult. He had held her against her will with the promise of her village's safety if only she gave in to the hundred million beli place upon all of the villagers' heads.

She had tormented herself by leaving other nakamas behind, but he was glad that there was something about his crew that kept her from straying too far. If anything were to happen to her, he wouldn't know how his heart could take it. She was a fragile thing even if she threatened him daily about money or her mikans or if he was disrupting her work on her map, her dream. He would never stand in the way of her dream, to construct a map of all the seas. He would only encourage the act as long as it meant that she could sail with him and never leave his side.

_What is this feeling?_ He rubbed his palm to his forehead, hoping to pound out all of the confusing emotions from his thoughts. What was he thinking? If Nami wanted to leave because she thought that it would help her in achieving her dream, then he would allow it. Wouldn't he?

_Of course I would._ He thought proudly. _Wouldn't I? Aaagghh, why now? Why am I feeling this way now? Nami is my nakama and nothing more. Sure, I'll protect her as long as she's in need of help and in danger, but when it came to personal things, I won't interfere. Unless…_

"No!" He didn't know that he spoke aloud, and when he realized, he silently thanked himself for being alone.

_Unless she wanted me to be around. If she wanted me to be around, then I would. I'll be at her beckoning call as long as she wanted me in her life. Besides, I am the Captain, so I'll have no problems in watching over her. At any sign of danger, I'll swoop in and save her just like always._

"Yosh, then that's what I'll do." He pounded his fist into his opposite hand.

* * *

She stared out towards the sea like her Captain asked, but there was still something troubling her mind.

_How does he do it? I mean, he always knows when I'm hurt or distressed, but how does he know? Is it that obvious on my face whenever I'm lying? I used to be a great liar, but ever since he found me, ever since Arlong, I haven't been able to lie once. What happened to me?_

She sighed and looked back towards the forest hoping that he would come back so that she wouldn't be all alone. Solitude was the worse for her, especially since she was a kid. She hated to be all alone because that's when all of her most feared thoughts would reappear over and over again. Why couldn't she have someone who she knew would protect her from her greatest enemy, herself?

'_Wait…Luffy…! Don't go…Stay…Luffy…'_

Tears crept out from the corners of her eyes and rolled silently down her cheek. She hadn't noticed that her shoulders were also heaving up and down as she took in gulps of breaths in order to try and calm herself down. But, no matter what she tried to do, her gasping wouldn't cease and her sobbing only increased. What was making her act this way? Was it the dream? Did it really have that effect on her, seeing Luffy leave her behind? Why would he leave her, though? How could he leave her; after all that they've been through, how could he leave her?

She heard the sound of multiple some things drop and the padding of sandals against sand. Though she could hear all this, she didn't know that Luffy had seen her in this state. It was bad enough that she had become dead weight to him, but now she had unleashed all of her emotional mumbo jumbo. Why couldn't she help him? She felt like such a burden.

"Nami…! What's wrong?" He frantically looked around; slightly hoping that her problem was being caused from the outside so that he could help her, but if it was internal then he didn't know what he could do for her.

She couldn't form words and she couldn't bring herself to look at her Captain.

"Nami…" He crouched down beside her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Looking at her swollen, reddened, and blotchy face tugged at his heart. It was just like when she was being held against her will, back when Arlong still controlled and used her.

"Luffy…" She cried.

"Nami…" He brought her slight figure to his chest and held her in his arms. He couldn't think of any other way that could soothe her pain, so he continued to hold her since that was all he was able to do for the time being.

Her crying wasn't stopping and there was still no sign of the ship. Was she doomed to continue to cause Luffy and the others pain by bringing them down further? Could she put her nakama through that?

But, what she couldn't do for herself was being provided by her Captain. His warm and strong arms wrapped around her, bringing her closer to his heart. She could feel the warmth of his body spread throughout hers and for some reason; she could feel her body shiver under this rapidly growing heat. It was like his and her body was melting into each others as the one protected the other and the other expressed. Praying silently to herself, she was glad that the others weren't here to mock them, especially Usopp with the way he gossiped around the ship.

His breathing was synchronizing with hers as she was gaining control over her inhaling and exhaling. She moved her arms so that she could hold around his waist and bring his body closer to hers. Luffy didn't notice the gesture nor would he have cared. If this was a way to help her out, then he would allow anything in his power to comfort his nakama. If this was what she wanted, then he would allow Nami anything just so that she could smile once more. Her smile was all that he wanted from her at this point, and with the sound of her sobbing coming to an end, he could tell that she was going to be vulnerable to anything that he could dish out.

He pushed her back and away from his face, so that he could look down into her red and puffy brown eyes. The tears she had shed caused a slight trail leading from their entrance point all the way down to her chin where they had jumped off and onto the sand of the shore below. He took his right index finger and placed it at the corner of her mouth. Pulling slightly at the corner, he contorted her mouth into a grim smile as his own smile spread wide touching the edges of his eyes. Even though she felt like crying more, she couldn't help but let out a small giggle. The way that Luffy could always see through her defenses was amusing, especially how he saw the world as one big game. He saw everything as fun and for some odd reason; she couldn't help but laugh at his eyes as they smiled down at her.

Hearing her laugh once again, he let go of her mouth as they laughed together. It wasn't his best idea to make her laugh, but apparently it got the job done. The sun had set and the night had adorned its dark cloak with the stars as its eyes. They had to stop, otherwise they would freeze tonight. So, Luffy went back and gathered up the fallen logs of wood that he collected and placed them down for Nami to light.

She had left her Perfect Clima Tact back on Sunny, so as she was cursing herself in the head, she was frantically rubbing two sticks, which she had to find herself since Luffy only brought back logs that were more like tree trunks, together to get a spark for the fire to start. As she was starting the fire, Luffy had created a fishing pole out of another sick and a thread from his vest.

"Got it." She cheered at her accomplishment. At least she was able to help him with survival.

"Yosh!"

She heard Luffy's cheering and thought that he was cheering because of her own accomplishment, but when she turned around, she saw what he was cheering about.

"Look, Nami!" He held up his prize from fishing. She had seen numerous giant fish in her life since she's been with him, but this fish exceeded all laws of common logic. Not to mention how he could hold up something so enormous, but knowing his strength, it wasn't impossible.

"Uh, good job Luffy…" She stared at the flopping monster and the huge grin spread wide across his face. "Well, we'll have plenty to eat tonight." She muttered to herself as he came running over with his catch.

She was no Sanji, but slicing the fish and grilling it over the fire wasn't too hard. Sure, it was probably dry and the most unappetizing thing she had ever eaten, but at least it was food for tonight. And besides, Luffy seemed like he was enjoying the meat.

She looked over at her enthusiastic Captain who was devouring his fish and thought to herself how the man from her dream be the same one sitting beside her right now. The Luffy from her dream was grown, definitely older from his outer appearance, and different. She didn't know how different, but she felt different towards him. There was something in that short encounter that convinced her of her feelings towards him, but since it was only a short encounter, she was still unsure about what exactly those emotions were. So, she stared at the current Luffy and wondered what she was feeling towards him right now. What made this Luffy different from her dream Luffy, besides that he was only a dream? But, even though it was only a dream, it felt more of a look. A look into the future has happened before, maybe not from her, but she was sure that someone has had a premonition before, right?

_Déjà vu, I think it was called._

"Oi, Nami, are you gonna eat that?" He asked, snapping her out of her trance.

She looked down at her half eaten fish-stick and shook her head "no". So, he stretched his hand over to her and snatched her fish and began eating it like there was no tomorrow. This Luffy was definitely not the one from her dream, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that the dream Luffy is the future Luffy.

_Luffy, what's happening to me? Why am I feeling like this, especially towards you? Huh, like you'll tell me. You have no idea what's going on, do you?_

"Mami, are you pokay?" Luffy asked with his mouth still full of food.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine." She smiled weakly in his direction hoping that he would drop the subject.

"You doon't wook pokay. Are you sfure?"

"Yes, Luffy, I'm sure. Now eat up, otherwise you'll lose your strength." She told him and he continued to stuff his face with the unsalted fish.

She laid back and gazed up at the stars wondering where the others were and if they were doing okay. Sure, she may act like a total tightwad around them, but it was for their own good at times. Because if she wasn't there, they would spend all of their money on unnecessary things and they would never get the supplies they'd need. Especially Luffy. He keeps on insisting on getting a bronze statue for the ship, but that would only weigh them down and plus that would wasting their money that they could spend on food and water. He could be such a baka at times.

There were several pictures in the sky; some looked like coins, necklaces, diamonds, and many other priceless things that usually popped in Nami's head. There was a picture of a straw hat and that only made her shake her head in disbelief, but when she saw a picture of a mikan, that only made her believe less. Until she saw a mikan wearing a straw hat did she start to believe that destiny was telling her something. But, why was it telling her all of this now? Why couldn't it be clearer earlier?

"Pretty, isn't it?"

She looked over at Luffy who had finished the great monster in less than an hour. He was leaning back with his head looking high into the sky as another smile spread across his face.

_Was he seeing the exact same thing as she was? No, there's no way that destiny is this strong._ She shook her head in disbelief at her theory.

"Hey, Nami," he looked over at her and pointed up at the straw hat and mikan, "do you see that?"

"See what?" She act innocent at the gesture, but she knew what he was pointing at.

"It's a hat and a mikan." He smiled bigger.

"Really? Where?" Again, she played it cool.

He scooted closer to her and placed his hand underneath her chin once again. He directed her eyes up and towards the northwest where the hat and mikan were more noticeable. She could feel his fingers and shivered at the heat. Being this close to him was intoxicating her senses and filling her mind with the same dream again. He had kissed her on her cheek in that dream and she could remember how it felt to have his attention. It was thrill seeking to have this strength on her skin without it doing any harm to her. It was casual to lie in his lap like this, but at the same time, she could feel a rush crawl up her skin.

"Luffy," She turned her attention to his face as his fingers left her chin and moved to cradle her shoulders while his arms held up her head.

"Yeah?"

"You would never leave me, right?" She watched his face and eyes intently as he thought about his answer.

_Why would she ask me that? Of course I would never leave her. She's my nakama._

_Or is she more than a nakama?_ A small voice inside his head asked, bringing his undeniable answer to a stop.

_What does that mean? Nami is Nami and I am Luffy. She's my nakama and nothing more, besides, what more could she and I want? We're perfectly fine like this._

_Are you? Don't you feel her heat rising or the redness in her cheeks? Can't you tell that she might like you more than a nakama?_

She saw him blush as his thoughts grew deeper. _Could Luffy really think that deep?_ She asked herself.

"Of course, Nami, I would never leave you." His voice sounded shaky, nervous. Then, he leaned in towards her face.

She could feel herself redden as his face approached hers. His eyes closed as he tilted his head to the right and she closed her eyes in anticipation for his action. His lips were just in reach of hers when she heard the waves change motion. Something was interrupting their rhythm as the waves grew louder with unrest. She opened her eyes and sat up causing Luffy to miss and kiss the sand at his feet. While he was busy trying to wipe his tongue clean of the salty and disgusting taste of the sand, Nami ran over to the fire and pulled out one of the sticks that she used to cook the fish. Waving it high above her head, she signaled down their ship and saw that it changed its course to come and rescue them.

"Luffy!" She cheered. "It's Sunny! We're saved!" Taking his hands into hers, she danced around for the joy of her nakama finally finding them so that she could take a proper shower.

* * *

After stepping aboard and receiving many apologizes from Sanji, she resided herself to her room and took that long awaited shower. Being on that sandy shore made her want to cleanse herself of all of that dirt and unwanted sand. But, what she hated most about showers was that it always gave her time to visit unwanted things.

_Back on the beach, was Luffy about to kiss me?_

Knock. Knock. Knock.

_Now, who could that be?_

She walked over to her door, after wrapping herself up in a towel, and opened up only to find the one person who she didn't feel like talking to at the moment.

"Nami, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Luffy rubbed the back of his head as his eyes looked away. She could see some red appear on his face as she realized that she was wearing nothing but a towel.

"I'm okay, Luffy. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep." She wanted to be nice to him, but she was on her last nerve. She promised herself that she wasn't going to be a burden to the crew anymore so if that meant that she had to get some more sleep so that she wouldn't pass out anymore, then so be it.

But, seeing his innocent face trying to be polite melted her to her core. He was always sweet to her and protected her when she needed his help, so what would be wrong if she said good night to him?

She leaned in and kissed him on his cheek causing him to light up bright red as she winked at him. "Good night, Luffy." She said as sweetly as she possibly could and shut the door so that she could go to sleep in peace.

* * *

_**Oh, wow. I think I outdid myself on this one. I hope that you loved the little LuNa moment cause it's only going to get better. Please keep on reading and reviewing and remember to check out my other story. If you like Kingdom Hearts, please make sure you read and review Kingdom Hearts High featuring couples like Roxas and Namine, Sora and Kairi, Riku and Kairi, Tidus and Yuna, and many others.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

She sighed as the night air invited her thoughts. This time of night was the only time that she was allowed some peace and quiet. The day had been stressful when neither their Sencho nor their Nabigeta showed up with the others, but at last, she could rest peacefully on lookout.

The steam from her coffee breathed in her face as the wind changed directions from south to southwest. She was good a navigating, but since she knew Nami was better, she never spoke up when Nami didn't feel like speaking. If she was having problems, then she was better to solve them herself, unless she would like a second opinion. A smile curled onto her face as she inhaled the rich coco beans and cinnamon radiating from the thermos in her hands.

Since it was a bit cold out tonight, she had brought up a blanket to wrap herself up in as she sat in her folding chair. Everything was easy to do, especially when you could have several helping hands. All she needed now was a radiator to keep her warmer, but this blanket was sufficient along with the thermos of coffee. A thick and wise book was rested on her lap as she gazed out towards the night's horizon and saw the stars dance above her head.

Everyone was asleep by now and that left the ship eerily quiet as it crept along the waters in the dead of night. She liked spending time outside when no one was there with her. Since she was little, she's been all alone; and although she had begged Luffy to save her from Enies Lobby, she didn't mind some alone time now and then. The night was a good friend to have when you needed to clear your thoughts, especially if you wanted to get your emotions cleared out.

She heard shuffling of feet on the deck below and peered down to see green hair lean over the side of the ship.

_Kenshi-san is probably having some conflictions as well. I wonder…_

"Kenshi-san!" She called down to Zoro who looked up at the crow's nest with surprise all over his face. "Kenshi-san, why don't you come on up?" She beckoned for his presence.

She could hear a small grunt from below and then more shuffling of the feet as they made their way up the ladder. Her heart started to race uncontrollably as she heard his feet climb the wooden ladder up to where she was sitting. She could even start to see the top of green as his head peeked up to see her alone with coffee, a blanket, and a book.

"What are you doing up here?" He asked as he made his way into the nest. He leaned up against the edge of the crow's nest and crossed his arms across his chest like he always did whenever there was something troubling him.

"Does that concern you?" She asked feeling a smile creep across her face. She took a sip from the thermos to hide her blush that she knew he already saw.

"Well, I, um…" He blushed as his words melted together and he got flustered.

A small giggle escaped her lips as she brought the thermos back down and placed it firmly in her grasp as it rested its heat onto her legs.

"Kenshi-san, why are you up at this late hour?" She asked when she was able to control herself.

"I couldn't sleep." He muttered.

"But, you didn't sleep last night either. I think it would be best if you got some rest." She smiled.

"Well, you're not my doctor. You can't make me do anything." He blushed again as he realized what he had spoke.

_Of course you can make me do anything you want. You already know that, don't you?_ He scowled at the woman who only continued to smile at him. _That temptress has complete control of me and I don't know how she was able to do it. When I get my hands on her…_

_You'll what?_ Something echoed deep inside of him. _Zoro, you're a demon who won't stop until he reaches his goal, but what if your original goal wasn't going as you plan? Will you take the diversion and run with it or will you force your way through it and never see this diversion again? Which is more important, your dream or your nakama?_

He growled at his inner self even though he knew it was right. What was he going to do? He did tell Luffy that if he got in his way of his dream that he would leave him without hesitation. But, could he leave his nakama behind, especially after what they all have been through?

He shook his head and saw Robin's icy blue eyes stare deep into his own black ones. A shiver rippled through his body as the wind blew down his spine. This moment of weakness gave away how he truly felt which only brought _her_ closer to him.

"Kenshi-san, you're not looking alright. Why don't you come here?" She called him over and patted a spot on her chair, even though there was barely enough room for her body to be resting on it.

He looked down at the deck and saw that no one was there to see him or hear him for that matter. So, he walked over to the woman and sat down. She had placed her book on the floor of the nest next to her thermos which he could only guess as coffee. She placed the small blanket over onto his side and shivered as the cold seeped in through the small crevice that they had caused in between them.

Blushing at the thought, he brought his arm over her head and around to wrap against her slight figure. Closing the crevice between them, he brought her closer to his body and securely held her there. He looked away from her eyes so that he wouldn't have to face her while he felt his face redden even deeper. She was tinier than he had thought and lighter than the time he saved her from Enel. He hoped that she was eating alright and then stopped that thought as soon as he felt the weakness creep inside of his mind.

She never knew how slight he was for all of the muscles that she knew he had. She could tell that he was wearing a light shirt because she could feel every indentation in his body seep through the light material including his scar. It stretched from his left shoulder all the way across to his waist and just touching the old wound sent chills up and down her spine. It rested across six of his perfectly carved muscles in his abdomen and she traced her finger up and down until a big and warm hand rested upon hers and stopped its movement. She looked up from underneath her lashes and saw a nice shade of crimson highlight underneath his gaze.

"What are you doing?" He huffed, causing his breath to show in the night.

She only smiled at him since she couldn't form any words. This only made him blush deeper and her smile increased in size as his embarrassment grew worse.

"I'm sorry, Kenshi-san. Did that bother you?" She smirked as his face grew more flustered.

He didn't answer, but he brought her closer to his chest to restrain her hands from touching him. She giggled at his reaction and rested her head on his shoulder so that her hair flew in the breeze of the wind, causing her scent to buzz around his head. It was intoxicating to him, beckoning for him to come closer into the Venus Fly Trap, but he grabbed hold of his senses before anymore damage could be done.

_Damn woman…She's doing this to me on purpose so that she can get the upper hand. Well, we'll see who comes out on top._ He grinned at his devilish thoughts.

She stared up into the night sky and saw something shoot across her vision. It was a shooting star and so, for her own personal amusement, she closed her eyes and thought real hard on a wish that she desired.

He peeked down from behind his eyelids and saw Robin's eyes close. In pure curiosity, he looked up into the sky and saw something shoot across, sending streaks of light to rain down on them. He put two and two together and figured that she was definitely planning something.

_I'll make the first move. There will be no day in hell that a woman would trick me, besides Nami since she's more than a woman and most likely the devil herself. _He thought grumpily as she opened up her icy blue eyes.

This was it. He had to do something that would catch her off guard so that he could get the upper hand instead of her. Like he said, he would rather die than lose the first move. He shifted uneasily in his seat so that he had more room than her, and Robin was nearly in his lap. She started to feel her heart race and she knew he was able to hear it doing laps in her chest as she waited for his next move, but if he wasn't going to make another move, she would have to do it for him.

They could feel each other's breath as it bounced off of their closely pressed faces. Their foreheads touched as she looked down with a small line of red appearing across her cheeks and he tried to fuse his gaze with hers.

"Zoro-kun…" She breathed.

He pressed his index finger to her lips so that she wouldn't ruin this with her confusing words like always. Her mouth could lie and that would ruin everything, but since her eyes never lied, he tried to focus on the unspoken words that they told him. Finally meeting his eyes, she felt herself redden deeper as her emotions betrayed her by leaking out to the one spot where she had no control over. Why did she have to be so weak in front of him? Sure, she showed her true feelings when she asked her nakama to save her, but if that was the only time that she was allowed to look weak and desperate, then why was she punishing herself by doing this now? Wasn't it just enough to be alive and spend her time with her nakama? Did she really have to want this as well?

She could feel his fingers crawl behind her neck and entwine themselves firmly in her hair while his other hand slid down to her lower back and, if possible, brought her slight frame closer to his body. Her heart excelled into overtime as his face kept coming nearer and nearer towards hers. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself to face this torture head on so that she wouldn't have any regrets in the morning.

Their lips barely brushed when a loud banging startled the entranced two. Neither of them wanted to look over the side to see who was disrupting this moment, but yet, depending on the person, they might be able to continue without any disruptions. Being the braver soul, Zoro looked over and saw a bright orange haired woman leaning over the side of the ship. She had her face in her hands as her feet kicked behind herself sending whatever dust there was into the air behind her.

She sighed at the sight of the sky and cursed herself for not being brave enough to fall asleep. It wasn't like she was scared of the process of falling asleep, but the chances of having the same dream was as good as another dream appearing in her head. When she was one of Arlong's pirates, she would have nightmares every night about the outcome of her village's safety and every night she would cry until she woke. But now, those nightmares seemed like gold than compared to the dream she had the other night where she was given unknown affection and then it was just as easily taken away. It was like someone had ripped out a piece of her heart and trampled all over it when dream Luffy left her all alone to face the small and fragile infants. But why did this dream make her feel that way? Did she really have feelings for Luffy like in her dream? Did this really upset her to such a degree that she was willing to go without sleep so that she wouldn't have to face it?

"Agh, I don't know what to do…" She ran her fingers through her hair and let a couple of strands fall into the dark depths below.

"Nabigeta-san?" Robin whispered under her breath as she felt Zoro breathe against her cold skin. She hadn't realized how warm it was underneath the blanket until she leaned over the side of the nest and was exposed to the outer elements.

"Who cares?" Zoro whispered to her as he began to kiss up and down her neck, trying to persuade her to come back underneath the blanket.

"She seems upset," she tried to ignore the caressing that he was giving her, but it was what she wanted the most at the moment and so it was hard to ignore the low purring coming from her own chest. "Maybe I should go help her…" She trailed off as she felt his hands wrap securely around her waist once again.

* * *

"Nami, why aren't you asleep?"

She turned around at the familiar voice and immediately recognized her Captain sitting with his back to her. His famous straw hat was hanging around his neck as his head was cocked up to look at the twinkling stars above.

"Luffy, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be asleep?" She tried to turn the conversation towards him, so that she could be let go Scott free.

"I'm fine, but you should get some sleep." He turned around and smiled at her, giving the same wide eyed grin. She knew that it was genuine because it reached his eyes giving them a special kind of glow like people would see with expecting mothers.

_Expecting mothers? What am I thinking?_ She shook her head in her poor choice of words to compare to his unique smile.

He jumped down from the ledge and walked over towards his Navigator as she looked around for a way to avoid him. She knew she wasn't ready to deal with him yet and so she was waiting to talk with him for tomorrow, after she got some peace and rest. But, that wasn't going to happen tonight, especially with her insomnia and her approaching Captain.

Her heart raced as she remembered what would've happened back on the beach and how he had a certain look in his eyes. It was safety, but there was something unidentifiable hidden beneath them that she couldn't concentrate enough to figure out at this point. She felt her cheeks redden and hoped that he couldn't see her like this under the moon as he approached slowly which was unusual for him. Luffy was the kind of person without patience and so therefore he should be running up to her, unless there was something troubling him as well.

_Nami kissed me on the cheek. Does that mean she likes me more than a nakama?_ He slightly shook his head back and forth. _No, she was only saying good night. But, why is she blushing? Maybe she does like me more than a nakama…What am I going to do if she does?_ He gulped at his thoughts as his hands became shaky with nervousness.

Luffy looked troubled, probably more than her as he walked closer underneath the moon's light. She could see his hands bawled into fists as they tried to hide his nervousness, but that wouldn't fool her. She knew how he hid his emotions even if he never hid them, but they were usually easy to read upon his face. His eyes told her the indecision lurking behind them while a smile spread across his face to try and distract her away from all of the simple emotions written all over.

_Oh, no, what do I do? What do I do?_ She felt her pulse race along with her heart and her palms began to sweat as he stopped not even a foot away.

"N-Nami…" His hands tensed as they curled tighter together.

"W-What Luffy?" She tried to play it more innocent so that her heart rate would go down.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" He asked, trying to talk small. "I mean, Chopper did tell you to get more sleep, otherwise you'll pass out again." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in closer so that she could feel his warm breath heave from mouth. "Please, Nami, I don't like it when you scare me."

"Luffy…" She was utterly speechless as she found out what scared her Captain the most, her well being. Maybe this was a sign…

"Nami…please, go to bed." Concern filled his eyes now as they poured down into hers.

"I can't sleep…" She mumbled.

"Nani?"

"I can't sleep."

"Why? Is it because of last night?"

She couldn't speak, feeling ashamed of herself that she could be driven so much by a simple dream, so she nodded "yes".

He brought her closer, wrapping his hands around her waist and placing his right hand on the back of her head for comfort. She buried her head in his shoulder as tears streamed out. She had wanted to cry ever since she had woken up in his arms, but if she was going to be a pirate, she was going to have to eliminate those kinds of emotions; otherwise, they'll get you killed. But this was a different story. She was allowed to cry in his arms since he understood during these kinds of things, but yet, she was still unable to tell him of the contents of the dream.

"Luffy…please…don't leave me…" she cried.

_Again, she says those words. What did she dream about that made her so different?_

"Nami…I told you once so I told you a million times, I will _never_ leave you." He placed his fingers underneath her chin and pulled her face up so that he could see into her red and puffy brown eyes.

Her lower lip quivered as she felt another wave of tears coming on, but his stare only grew tenser. She could see the debate forming inside his head and she wished for only one thing, him. As long as he didn't leave her and it wouldn't ruin their friendship, she didn't care what would happen between them.

He brushed away her current tears and then placed his hand back underneath her chin. He brought her face up closer towards his as she closed her eyes, ready for what he was about to do next. He gently placed his lips on hers and forced her mouth open, even though he knew that there wasn't any force behind it. From the way that their lips and breathing melted together, he knew that she wanted this just as bad as he did and whatever he was doing now was helping her recover. Her breath was warm and sweet as it crept into his mouth. He brushed his tongue against her lower lip, collecting the salty tears that remained, and that sent chills of pleasure down his spine.

Her arms squeezed against his waist as his hands remained securely behind her head twisting his fingers in her hair as his other hand pulled her slight figure closer to his chest. They both staggered in the heat as Nami brushed up against the ledge of the ship, not noticing what dangers the ocean held below, especially in the Grand Line. All that mattered to them right now was each other and nothing could split that fact from one another.

"Luffy…" she breathed between gasps.

"Nami…" he imitated her.

"Zoro…!" A hushed scream was heard overhead and caused the two to split incase they were found out.

"Luffy, please, tell me that wasn't you." Nami panted as she tried to regain her heart.

"No," he looked up at the sky, thinking that was where the noise was coming from, but was sadly disappointed when he only saw stars.

There was only one other place on the deck where that could've come from, so Nami pointed her attention to the crow's nest and concentrated hard onto the spot. She heard soft moaning coming from above as the sound of metal clattered to the floor of the nest. Only one person crossed her mind that could contain metal on him at this time of night, and then she focused hard on the voice that had called out the name. It was definitely womanly as she moaned which only left two people out of the whole ship that could be up there at this time of night.

"Uh, Nami, are you feeling better?" Luffy asked as he saw a gleam appear in her eyes. He knew that gleam whenever she was thinking of a way to scam Zoro out of more money, so he let it be. It was usually funny, to him, whenever they got into their money spats.

"Oh, yeah. I'm feeling much better Luffy." She placed her lips back to his after thanking him. When she broke off, she walked back to her room while rubbing her hands together in her dastardly scheming.

"I'm happy." He smiled as he placed his fingers to his lips to trace where they had exchanged emotions. After that kiss, he knew exactly what she was feeling, so there was no reason why he needed to know what she had dreamt about.

* * *

"Zoro, I thought I heard someone down there." Robin said after she regained her breath. She could feel no weight as Zoro rested his body on top of hers underneath the blanket. Her buttons on her blouse were nearly all undone as he was kissing down from her lips to her collarbone.

"It was only Nami. She'll leave." He said and continued to nibble on the side of her neck. His hands were firmly on her upper and lower back causing her to arch it upwards and closer to his body.

Even though the night's cold air stung at their bodies, they couldn't feel it with all of the steam radiating from underneath the blanket. Zoro made his way down the last remaining buttons and nearly tore them from her body. Her flat stomach was sparkling in perspiration which only made her glow brighter than the stars above their heads. Her radiant skin dewed under the moon's light as his sweat combined with hers in the heat of their closely pressed bodies. The raven black hair entwined with his fingers as he raised her body so that she was sitting in his lap with the strength in his arms to wrap around her petite frame. Their breaths bounced off one another as they tried to catch their speeding hearts.

"Zoro…" she panted, "I think we should stop…"

"Why?" He imitated her gasping whisper.

"What if someone is to hear us?"

"Let them hear." He pressed his lips to hers and traced his tongue on her lower lip. She opened her mouth a little more to allow his breath and scent take up space as her tongue lightly brushed against his. He tasted just as sweet as what she would've believed. He broke apart so that he could trail kisses down her neck, leaving her vision to gaze out at the night.

He felt a tug on his neck and the next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his back and looking eye in eye with the famous Mugiwara Luffy, his Captain. Luffy was perched on the edge of the crow's nest with his eyes wide in shock.

Robin faltered with her fingers to re-button her blouse so that she wasn't so exposed to her Captain. She had released her hands from his neck now that he knew someone had found them out. She felt something wrap itself around her bust and realized that it was soft like a blanket. Zoro had thrown the blanket around her upper torso to save her the embarrassment.

"Luffy," she blushed.

"What are you doing?" He tilted his head to the side.

Neither Robin nor Zoro answered him.

* * *

_**Last time I gave you a little LuNa moment, now I gave you a ZoRo moment even though there was more LuNa as well. I hoped you liked it just as much as I did and I also want to warn you about the next update. Within my scattered brain, I envisioned an "interesting" future with my pairings and this included a special pairing that, I know from experience, isn't commonly talked about. In fact, there aren't many couples with the main man pairing, but I hope that you'll like it and review about it for me. **_

_**P.S. If you don't like the next couple, please keep in mind that they will be in future updates and I hope that you give me a respectable opinion on who you think should be paired with the man.**_

**_Thanks and I hope that you've been enjoying yourself with Voyages of the Sea._**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_**This takes place after the Ace and Blackbeard incident which is after the Straw Hat Crew gets their new ship, Thousand Sunny. For those who know the future for Ace, please don't go against this. I love Ace and so he will not end up **_**that**_** way, especially since this is called a fan**_**fiction**_**. There is also a spoiler between Ace and Luffy by the way.**_

* * *

He could feel his stomach growl after not being able to eat for several days. And to make matters worse, he hadn't seen a single island for the same amount to time. Never had he gone a few hours without food and now, all of a sudden, he had to desperately search for an island before he starved to death.

It wasn't odd that he didn't feel a single wisp of natural wind as his ship sailed on his "fire"power alone, but it was strange when he encountered a nest of sea kings. They raised their heads and of course, his ship was lucky enough to land on the nose of one of the largest sea kings that he'd ever seen.

"This is my lucky day," he said as he hopped down onto the beat's snout. The king stared at him with fury in its eyes and he gave him the same look only his eyes contained tiredness and hunger. Even when he wasn't at his fullest, he could still easily take down a simple sea king.

"Hiken," a giant burst of flames erupted from his fist as he released his signature blow. The attack had hit the sea king square between the eyes and split the creature in half from its top fin slicing all the way down to its tail.

The creature quaked as its body fell limp back into the water causing Ace's ship to fall as well. He cropped a piece of the king and ran back to his ship before it could shatter from the impact. Lighting up the engine, he caused the boat to soar a bit before landing roughly back in the water.

"Whew, that was close." He wiped his forehead mockingly. "Well, at least I have something to eat." He held his lump of meat on his palm as he gently cooked it to a nice brownish color.

With his other hand, he rubbed his throbbing neck. He could still remember the blow that had almost broken his neck. This mission that he was given was going to be a lot more difficult than he had originally thought. Sure, he was the sun and Teach was darkness so he was supposed to outshine him, but his infernal ability to absorb his abilities was going to be the problem. Teach was the only person, that he could remember, that could touch him against his will.

He hadn't felt the taste of blood in a long time and now he would never forget it. He was going to have to be more careful than before, more clever than his opponent in case this thing was to happen again, but that was never going to happen. He would never allow it to.

_I can't remember anything after that explosion._ He sighed and looked up to see the clouds finally moving again.

"What's that smell?" He looked down and saw that he was burning his only food since several days ago. "Ah!" Switching hands, he took a bite and nearly burnt his tongue which was unusual as well. Ever since the fight, he couldn't function like normal. He was always forgetting things and his sense of direction was off. He figured that he hit his head while he was still vulnerable to those kinds of attacks.

His stomach roared with pleasure as the food slid down his throat and satisfied his empty stomach.

"Luffy…" He sighed. After what Teach had told him, he was wondering of his younger brother's safety. Sure, he was now worth three hundred million beli so he must be much stronger, but being an older brother was always exhausting.

Shutting his eyes, he welcomed _this_ darkness with pleasure. It was so long since he was able to sleep soundly that it felt like nothing happened.

* * *

The roughly rocking ship woke him from his much needed sleep as the rain poured down on him. He hadn't noticed earlier that it was going to rain otherwise he would've tried harder to find an island to crash upon, but without the forewarning, he was stuck trying to battle the sea.

It pushed and shoved his small ship all around, making it difficult for his flames to maneuver with. Not to mention the wind was causing his boat to circle on spot; that's why he liked to use his fire as his engine, but since there was a sail upon the ship, he had no use but to resource to the unimaginable power of the air.

_Great, since my encounter with Teach didn't kill me, I guess I'm doomed to die out here where no one can see me…_ He smirked at the irony of his situation.

But to his luck, he managed to spot a cliff side nearby. If he was able to make the distance with his ship, he could camp out on that island and continue his drifting when the storm let up.

"Yosh, here I go." He turned his sail so that it faced in the right direction so that he could head towards the cliff.

As the wind did its job, he heated the salt water so that it would evaporate before it could sink him into the ocean. If he lost one foot to the ocean in these conditions, he knew it would be the end of this little journey. So, before the ocean could swallow him whole, he blasted shot after shot onto the coming waves. A giant thirty-four foot wave appeared on his left and distracted him while another wave, not as high with six feet less, hit him from behind sending him flying off of his tiny ship and into the water.

_Shit…Well, this is the end…_ He closed his eyes and before he couldn't move, smiled. He figured that he was going to go out "blazing", but in the end, it ended with the one true weakness of all Akuma no Mi users, the ocean.

_Sorry, Luffy…I guess I wasn't a great big brother after all…_

* * *

"Hm, hm, hm…"

_Humming? Is that an angel singing? Who would've guessed that I would actually make it up there…?_

"Hm, hm, hm…"

_Such a sound could only mean it came from an angel…Well, doesn't this make me a lucky man?_

"What's so funny?" The angel asked.

_Her actual voice is just as sweet…Man, do I wish that I could respond…_

"Don't worry; I'll make you well again." A smile was distinct in her voice as it tried to lull him.

_Make me well? Aren't I dead?_ He could start to see a dimming light right behind his lids as it tried to penetrate its way through. _Well, lookie here. I guess I really am lucky._

"Oh, well, what is this?" Her voice sounded interested in something, and then he felt a tug at his arm. He could feel her fingers trace up and down his wet skin where, if he was correct, his name was tattooed.

He could feel himself chuck up some salt water as it burned his throat. The "angel" was startled, but she helped him up and patted his back to help. Her hands were soft and delicate but strong as the sea washed out of him, allowing him to wake from the terrible darkness that could've been his fate.

He was lain down gently as his eyes adjust to the indoor lighting. Her beauty was definitely of something that would belong to an angel, but she was real with her light purple hair and dark ocean blue eyes. She had an array of tattoos across her chest and down her right shoulder. She wore a light yellow tank top, proudly showing off the art that looked homemade and short shorts that showed off her elegantly long legs. Her purple hair was wet like she recently went swimming, but there was a storm outside so why would she go swimming in this weather?

As his eyes rested on the "angel", he hadn't realized that he was slowly regaining his strength that the sea had drained from him. The feeling in his fingers returned and he was able to flex them, sending a smile onto his face.

"Now, you have to tell me. What were you doing out there in a time like this? Didn't you know that it was going to storm?" She sat down on the edge of the bed as she placed a cool, wet towel to his forehead.

"I was asleep on my ship, so I didn't see the coming storm." He responded.

She placed her hand on both of his cheeks before feeling his forehead. "You're burning up."

He could only laugh at her reaction.

"It's not funny, you know. There are many people who die from fevers." She placed her hands on her hips as a small layer of red lit her cheeks.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He tried to hold back his laughing.

"An ignorant fool?" She asked sarcastically.

"You know, I like you. The only kind of women that I meet are pirates and trust me, they aren't the kind of women that you could grow a "liking" to." He laughed again as her cheeks reddened.

"Well, who are you?" She asked with more curiosity this time.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Portagus D. Ace." He managed to raise his hand so that she could shake it.

She grasped his hand firmly as a smile lit her face. "My name is Nojiko."

"Thank you, Nojiko, for taking care of me, but if you don't mind, I have to leave." He tried sitting up himself, but fell back down onto the bed as soon as a rush of blood traveled up into his head.

"Oh, no, you're not. There's no way in hell that I'm letting you back out there with those wounds."

"Really? You're going to stop me?" He raised his brow in disbelief, but yet again, in his current state he didn't know if he could defy her orders.

"You're not the first person that I've rescued from the ocean's waters." Nojiko told him.

"Really, who've you met?"

"There was this Akuma no Mi user a long time ago, and if he wasn't rescued, then my sister and this whole village would've been destroyed by mermen pirates."

"Oh? So, who was this mystery man?" He was stalling, hoping that the rain would stop any minute.

"Well, you've probably heard of him despite the awful rumors."

_I wonder who could have such a reputation like this, besides a certain little monkey that I know._ He smiled at her and she looked at him questionably.

"Mugiwara Luffy." She announced proudly. "You know what?"

He stared at her with his jaw dropped. It didn't surprise him that Luffy would do such a thing, but this only meant that this world was entirely small. "What?" he mumbled.

"You look a little like him." She tapped her index finger to her lower lip as she examined his features a bit more.

"Really? Cause I've met him, and I don't see the resemblance." He laughed nervously.

"You said that your name is Portagus _D_. Ace, right?"

He nodded.

"Are you sure that you're not related to Monkey _D_. Luffy?"

He broke eye contact before nodding again.

"You're lying." She got up from the bed and walked over to the dinning table where bandages and more poultices rested, waiting to be used. Nojiko grabbed fresh bandages and wraps and walked back over towards Ace.

He could still feel the wounds that he sustained from Teach aching in his chest, neck, jaw, arms, and everywhere else; not to mention, he could feel a new wound on the back of his head as if something sharp had cracked open his skull. Nojiko sat closer to him this time as she unwrapped the dirtied bandages around his head and replaced them with a fresh herbal cream and wrapped his head again. He knew that she knew that there was no helping his old wounds from his previous fight, but she did give him something unexpected. She handed him a glass of orange juice and a small white pill.

"Take the pill and then wash it down with that." She pointed to the drink in his hand.

"How did you know that I was lying?" He asked, ignoring the medicine and juice in his hand.

"Because you broke eye contact. Whenever my little sister was lying to me, she would always look to the side." She smiled at him, showing her little pearly teeth and nearly blinded him.

"Huh, who would've thought…" He tossed his head back as he swallowed the little white pill and chugged the orange juice. "Thank you, Nojiko, but I really have to get going…"

"Uh, uh, you're not going anywhere." She pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Why?"

"Because when I fished you out of the ocean, I didn't see any ship or boat. There is no way that I'm letting you leave without some way of getting back." She blushed as she replayed her words over in her head. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" She put her hands up in her defense.

He laughed at her double meaning. "Well, if you didn't see a boat, then I guess I really have no way to escape. Do you mind-?"

"If you stayed here until you got a ship?" She finished for him and he nodded, trying to hold back his laughter. "If you stop lying to me."

He sighed in defeat since there really was no way of heading forward until he found a boat to meet his needs. "Fine." He looked up at her, stared into her dark ocean blue eyes, and smiled at her.

"Then, don't you have something to tell me?" She raised her brow, waiting for him to finally tell her the truth.

"Monkey D. Luffy or as most people know him, Mugiwara Luffy, is related to me. I'm his older brother."

"I knew it." She clapped her hands together and rushed past a door. Within minutes, she was back and with her, she brought trays of food. His jaw dropped as the smell warmed him from his freezing toes to his splitting head.

"Wow! Look at all of that food!" He commented as Nojiko brought over the plates filled with assorted meats and sides.

She giggled at his reaction and sat the plates by his bed. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and began to chow down. Even if he denied that he was related to Luffy, for his brother's protection, there was no hiding the fact that they ate the same amount of food.

"Ace, do you have many nakama?" Nojiko asked as she watched him eat plate after plate.

"Huh? Op course I boo. I'm decond commamber op da Whidebeard Pirades." He said while stuffing his face with a chicken leg and swallowed before continuing, "Why do you ask?"

"Have you seen Luffy's crew lately?" She changed the subject.

He nodded as he continued to eat the homemade food.

"Do you remember seeing an orange haired woman?"

_Was that the loud and greedy one?_ He thought before answering, "Yeah, I think she was the navigator."

"That's her. Did she look happy to you?"

"Well, she was kind of loud and forceful, but there was always a smile on her face."

Nojiko smiled at the fact that Nami was finally happy with people that she could trust and call nakama. It wasn't like she didn't trust Luffy, especially after what he did for the entire village, but she did worry for her sister's health, more now since she had a bounty placed on her head. "I'm glad…" she whispered.

"Um, Nojiko? Could I some more juice?" Ace asked, holding up his cup.

She nodded and took the cup from earlier. It was indeed known that Bellemere-san's mikans made the best juice. When she returned with his drink, she found Ace passed out with his face in his food, nearly giving her a heart attack. Dropping the juice to the ground, she raced over and placed two fingers at the base of his neck to check his pulse. Thanking God for his heart beat; she helped him back into the bed and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders to heat his body back up. She didn't know why he laughed earlier, but whatever the reason, he was running a fever and one of the ways that she could help him with that is with heat.

Before shutting off the lights and heading to bed herself, she looked back at the man and saw a wide smile placed upon his face.

* * *

It must've been noon when he woke. He looked out the window and saw that the sun was shining which meant that the storm was over. He ripped the blankets off of him, grabbed his hat that was resting on the nightstand beside his bed, and headed outside.

There were puddles of water and mud from last night's storm, and everything seemed to shine with the sun beating down on the leftover droplets of rain and dew. The heat on this island was comfortable, but looking up into the sky and seeing no clouds told him that today was supposed to be hot to the locals. He saw a grove of mikan trees as he explored behind the house.

_So this is where she gets the juice._ He approached one of the trees and was about to pluck a mikan when a hard slap surprised him. It didn't hurt, but for exaggeration, he waved his hand back and forth in mocking pain.

"Don't touch my mikans." An angelic voice scolded him from behind. He turned around and saw Nojiko with her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry," his stomach growled, "but-"

"You would like something to eat, right?" Her eyes lightened gently as she walked back into the house. By the way she swung her hips as she walked, it was like she was beckoning him to follow; so he did.

The kitchen was moderate but cozy and he could see a small table placed behind a couple of countertops. This place must've been nice to grow up in and it only reminded him of his younger brother even more. The more that he lingered the more he could hear Teach's words echo in his head. One of the objectives that Teach had was to kill Luffy and hand over his body to the government.

_There's no way in hell that I'm going to let him get away with that._ He grinded his teeth together in frustration. _I need to find a boat._

He hadn't noticed the smell of eggs and bacon until it was steaming under his nose. Nojiko placed the food on the table and left him to eat in silence as she made her way back to her mikan grove.

When he was done, he ventured back outside and saw the slight figure of Nojiko standing on a foot ladder gathering her precious mikans. Carefully placing each one into the basket at her side, she quietly hummed to herself while harvesting. It was the same melody that she was singing when he was unconscious. He could remember the tune as if it was implanted into his subconscious and started to hum along. When she stopped, he hadn't noticed and continued to hum the melody that brought him back from the darkness.

"Well, if you think that you're well enough, why don't you pick the mikans while I go into town to sell these?" Nojiko was standing over him with a full basket of brightly oranged mikans in one arm and in the other was an empty one.

"Does this mean you trust me?" He smiled from ear to ear, sending a chill down her spine as her cheeks reddened.

"We'll see." She smirked, trying to hide the crimson in her tan skin and handed him the empty basket. "I'll be back soon. If you get hungry, there are some mikans inside that I've already picked and please remember, don't harm any of my trees." She walked away with her full basket towards the end of the property line before she turned around and winked at him.

He watched until she was out of sight, then he picked up the empty basket and headed into the grove. Most of the trees were bare, but as the sound of waves grew, he was able to see orange spots before he could find the ocean. Since the ocean wasn't going anywhere, he stopped and placed the basket beside one of the frugal trees.

* * *

_Ace…If he's related to Luffy then he's probably a pirate as well. He said he had nakama, so does that mean he has his own crew? He has a lot of tattoos, especially the one on his back, but if he does have his own crew, then why doesn't the tattoo look like him? Besides if he has nakama, where are they? This is getting a bit strange…_ Nojiko thought to herself as she traveled down the main street of Kokoyashi Village. The basket full of mikans weren't as heavy as they used to be which meant one of two things. One, she was so used to carrying them that she didn't notice their weight anymore or two, her trees weren't producing the same amount of mikans as they used to.

She sighed, hoping that it wasn't the latter.

"Kon'nichiwa, Gen-san." Nojiko smiled at the man with hundreds of scars. He was sitting at his desk wearing the same brown uniform and pinwheel on his hat.

"Ah, Nojiko!" He seemed enthusiastic to meet her, a bit too enthusiastic.

"How are you, Gen-san?" She asked as she put the basket down by his desk.

"Well, I do have something to tell you." He approached her from behind his desk to whisper something in her ear, "We have some visitors on this island."

"Nani? Who?"

"Guess," he hushed as he made his way back to his desk.

"The Marines," she sighed. "Who did they send this time? Another rookie?"

"No, they sent Commodore Eizoku and-"

"I can take it from here, Gen-san." A tall woman appeared from the next room over. She was wearing a large white coat, which said Marines on the back, over top of her normal clothes. Underneath the white coat, she was wearing a bright crimson tank top with a seagull clearly printed on the front; tight black pants that looked snug on her curves, especially her hips and calves; and crimson boots that stopped at her ankles. She looked young to be a Commodore with her light sandy skin, freckles spotted across her cheeks, bright emerald green eyes, and long chocolate brown hair that flowed like waves in the ocean. Her eyes sparkled as she met with Nojiko's, "Hello, dear." She smiled, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth.

"Great, another one. What do you want?" She placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. Ever since Luffy got his first bounty of thirty million beli, there have been marines surrounding this island waiting incase he returned to visit.

"I'm just inspecting the village, and don't worry, I won't skip your house." She smiled down on Nojiko again before heading outside.

_Shit, Ace!_

"Sorry, Gen-san, I have to go!" So that she wouldn't have to collide with the Commodore, she ran out the back of the building and into the woods. She knew these routes just as well as anyone else and so she predicted that she'd be home in five minutes.

_I'm coming, please, don't get found out!_

* * *

_**I'm going to add a few more pages of this couple before continuing with LuNa and ZoRo, so please be patient. Who knows? Maybe you'll like how this fits in with the actual plot that I'm plotting. Please read and review so that I know if you like this and so that I can continue. (^-^)**_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ace sat down in the shade of one of the mikan trees to get some shut eye. He enjoyed having an afternoon nap now and then, and if he was going to be stuck on this island for a while, he might as well do it right. He thought of this marooning as a vacation for the time being, except for the fact that he was working in this grove for Nojiko. Hey, it was the least he could do for the person who saved him from is salty doom.

He laughed out loud at the thought of him, Fire Fist Ace, being swallowed by the sea and that being the end of him.

"Ace! Ace!"

Opening his eyes, he looked out to the property line as his name increased in volume. He knew that know one knew him on this island besides Nojiko, so it didn't surprise him when he saw her running from the direction of the village. She had a frantic look upon her face, though, as she was covered in sweat and dirt. It looked as if she had been either roughed up or she was running away from something that could hurt her.

This enraged him. How could someone want to harm that angel that saint. She helped him from the ocean's clutch and he couldn't think of any way to fill his debt, but now, her being chased and all, he thought of a way to save her, like she did him. He jumped to his feet as she approached closer. He could see the fear in her eyes now, and this only made him flare even more.

"Nojiko, what's going on?" He shouted out to her as she kept running to him.

She came at full speed and collided into him, bare chest and all like he usually liked to prance around in. She grabbed her hand and started to pull him away from the grove and back into the house.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"You need to hide."

"Nani?"

"There are Marines here, and they're here for their monthly check. If they find you here, they'll take you away," _from me._ She left out the last part so that he wouldn't hear.

"Marines?" He stopped causing Nojiko to collide back into his chest. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her worried ocean eyes. "Nojiko, if they find me, there will be no problem. I can handle myself."

"Not after those wounds." She pointed out his still bandaged head that he must've hit when he black out in the ocean. "Besides, they aren't just some marine lackeys. This woman is a Commodore and in your condition, you won't be able to handle her." She pulled at his hand again as she tried to look for a good hiding place.

"A Commodore? That's it? Hah!" He laughed, bringing her attention back to him. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"

She shook her head "no".

"I am Ace, the Second Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. I told you that last night." He still had the humor in his voice.

"Well, you had your mouth full and I couldn't hear you." She blushed a little at her mistake. Was his name that famous? But if it was, wouldn't she have heard it?

"Just let me take care of the Commodore." He escaped from her grip and started to head outside.

"Wait, please, you're my guest. Let me take care of you." She grabbed his hand again and pulled him to a locked bedroom.

She had to release him for a minute as she rummaged through old drawers. He didn't know what she was looking for, but out of respect, he stayed for her. She was going through all of this trouble for him and the least he could do was respect her for trying to hide him, even though he could take out the Commodore with one hit.

"By the way, I was wondering where I was." He brought up something that was bothering him since he arrived. This weather was too predictable for the Grand Line which was making him wonder…

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Kokoyashi Village in East Blue." Nojiko told him as she continued to search for something in the drawers.

"Kokoyashi Village? East Blue?" His jaw dropped to the floor as he realized how far he had floated. "Ah! How did I drift so far?"

"What do you mean?" Nojiko stood back up, holding something white in her arms.

"The last thing I remembered, I was drifting in the Grand Line." He told her. _Well, there were large amounts of sea kings and I don't think I remember feeling any wind other than what I was doing to control my boat. Maybe I was in the Calm Belt…_ He left that part out, so that he didn't sound stupid. "What do you have there?" He pointed towards the cloth that she was clutching in her arms, changing the subject.

"Put this on," she tossed him what appeared to be a plain white t-shirt, "and give me your hat." She held out her hand, waiting for the hat.

He sighed and handed over the hat while he pulled the white shirt over his bare chest, covering all of his tattoos. He understood what she was trying to do, but he couldn't help but wonder of what she was planning. How was this going to hide him?

"Good, it fits. Here," she handed him black sunglasses, "if we cover up your tattoos and hide your eyes, then maybe I can impersonate you as my older brother."

"You have an older brother?" He raised his brow questionably.

She shook her head "no" with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "No, I have a younger sister whom, I'm guessing, you've met."

"Really?" He tried to remember if he'd seen another woman with light purple hair, but none crossed his mind.

"She's not related by blood, but she's my sister. Nami's the navigator for Luffy's crew." She announced proudly.

"_She_'s your sister?"

"Yup. Now hurry," she grabbed his wrist and led him downstairs to the dinning room table, "before she comes."

"She?"

"The Commodore. Sometimes I think that you really are dumb." She sat him down at the table and went into the kitchen.

As he waited, he saw old, battered maps hanging along the walls as well as photographs of two young girls, one orange haired and the other light purple, along with an older-but young-woman with the sides of her head shaved, but the hair that was left was a bright pink. The three women looked happy together, but when Ace looked into Nojiko's current eyes, he didn't see that same happiness but a false joy. It tugged him from the inside to see someone look this way, but he knew what was bothering her. She was missing her sister.

"Nojiko," he started, but she came back out from the kitchen with little white box which he guessed contained first-aid, "why aren't you happy?"

"What do you mean?" She asked as she unwrapped his bandage around his head.

"You don't have the same joy in your eyes as when you were younger." He pointed at the photograph with the three women.

"What do you mean? Arlong's gone, thanks to Luffy, and Nami," she sighed, "is happy with them. How much happier can I get?"

He could hear the heavy sarcasm in her tone as she finished with his dirty bandages and brushed his matted hair. She could still smell the sea's salt that was buried down to his roots and smiled. She had missed the need to take care of someone, and this injured man was her remedy; there was no way that some marine Commodore was going to take him away.

"You miss your sister, and I understand."

"Really?" She could feel her body heave as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Yes, there are times that I find myself wondering if Luffy's happy," he chuckled a bit before continuing, "but since he's Luffy, I know that he's happy as long as he's with his nakama. So, whenever I remember that he's happy, it makes me happy and I forget about whatever I was so worried about. Not to mention, he has a bounty of three hundred million beli and I know that if he's that strong to gain that much money, then he must be strong enough to stay alive."

"So, what you're saying is that I should think of reasons why she would be happy and safe, and then I would feel the same?" Her sobbing was decreasing as his words reached her.

He slumped his head down as soft snores escaped his mouth.

"Well, I guess worrying causes you to lose sleep as well." She tried to laugh at her own joke, but the sound of knocking caught her attention. "Shit," she muttered, "Ace, you have to wake up." She nudged him but he only shrugged away her gesture.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Coming!" She called to the door, hoping that the Commodore wouldn't barge in uninvited. "Ace, wake up!" She slapped him on his cheek, waking him up from his bad habit that he shared throughout his family.

"Huh?" He said groggily. "What's going on?"

"The Commodore's here. Go put these bandages in the kitchen cabinet and then stay outside in the grove. If she goes out there and asks you who you are, say that you're my older brother and you're here to help me harvest the mikans." She shoved the white first-aid case to him, and hoped that he'd be okay on his own.

She walked over to her door and opened up to the brunette Commodore who was busy examining the surroundings of the house. Nojiko leaned against the door frame, waiting patiently for the marine to finally acknowledge her.

"Oh, hello Nojiko." She smiled at her with her green eyes and pearly white teeth. This woman was different than others with the way she acted so carefree while on the hunt for blood thirsty pirates.

"Well, even if I invite you in, I'm sure you'll barge your way through." She opened the door a bit wider, even though it was perfectly fine to allow both of the women through. This was an insult directed at the Commodore, but since it wasn't recognized, Eizoku didn't comment.

The tall and curvy woman scanned the first floor quickly and made her way up to the second without any official tour. There were only two bedrooms, a locked closet, and one bathroom on the top floor which didn't interest her that much, but the locked closet was a bit suspicious. She placed her right index finger on the keyhole and in the matter of seconds, she was able to open up the locked door.

"Isn't that a violation of someone's privacy?" Nojiko was standing at the top step with her arms crossed across her chest.

"On this island, you don't have any privacy." She smiled and looked in the closet. All that was hiding inside this closet were fine linens and old, dusty boxes. "Is that all of your property?" She glared at Nojiko who returned the gesture with an equal fire.

"You know who you remind me of?" Nojiko asked, but when she didn't get a response, she continued, "There was this pirate a while ago who controlled this island. You remember his name, right?"

"Now, that I think of it, you have a mikan grove, right?" She walked right by the fuming Nojiko and headed outside through the front yard, not knowing that there was a back door in the kitchen.

Nojiko stopped in her tracks as she saw how many marine soldiers were waiting outside for their Commodore. Soldiers as far as the eye could see were marching up the pathway and onto her property; it wasn't going to take long to find Ace. Their only hope was that these marines were a bunch of idiots and that they would be easily fooled with her plan.

She saw Eizoku round the corner of her house and knew that it wouldn't end well. Nojiko ran to follow closely behind, but stopped, once again, when she saw her worst nightmare. The Commodore stood frozen as both her and Nojiko saw Ace sleeping underneath one of her mikan trees.

"And who is this?" Eizoku purred as she approached the sleeping boy.

"That's my older brother, Musoka." Nojiko lied smoothly. She was just as good as Nami when it came to lying.

"Musoka? That's funny. He reminds me of someone else…" Eizoku tapped her right index finger against her lips as she tried to see his hidden face.

"Really, well maybe you've seen him on the seas. He doesn't live on this island anymore, but he remembered my birthday was approaching so he decided to celebrate with me since our sister is no longer living with me." She explained, hoping she wouldn't ask Ace if that was true or not.

"Is that so? How old are you going to be?"

"Well, my birthday was a few days ago and I've been helping him prepare for his journey back."

"You didn't answer my question. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-one, and if you're going to ask me how old he is, I don't have any authority of answering that since it's not my personal information."

"Oh?" Eizoku approached the sleeping Ace and kicked him in his side, causing him to turn over facing in the opposite direction. "He's quite stubborn."

"He and Nami both…" Nojiko muttered under her breath.

"Wake up, dammit!" The Commodore's fingernails grew long along with the bright red nail polish that was spread along them. She went to slash at the sleeping boy, but stopped as Ace stretched his tight and tensed muscles.

He yawned before looking up at the Commodore, "Who are you?" He asked groggily as his vision was regaining.

She decreased her fingernail length before answering, "I'm Commodore Eizoku Tekina of the twenty-second fleet. And who are you?" She purred.

"I'm A-"

"Musoka, what have I told you about sleeping in the mikan grove?" Nojiko interrupted him before his cover was blown.

"Musoka?" He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"_You_ are the only Musoka on this island, right? Sometimes I think that you really are dumb." She walked over and kicked him in his side, hinting him that was his cover.

"Haha, yeah, I guess I am." He scratched his head in surprised nervousness and looked up at the Commodore. Her wavy chocolate hair, emerald green eyes, and obsession of the color red seemed a bit familiar to him. "You said your name is Tekina, right?"

The way he pronounced the Commodore's first name sent waves of rage down Nojiko's spine. Why was he worrying about that? He should be worrying about whether or not they would get out of this okay. What would he care if her name was Tekina?"

"Yes, I'm Eizoku Tekina. And you are?" She tried to find the falseness in his "story".

"Didn't I tell you?" He looked over for Nojiko's sign and nodded back when she noticed how unsure he was about his own "name", "I'm Musoka," he smiled, "and you're Tekina, right? I knew a woman by the name of Eizoku Aniket; you wouldn't happen to be related to her, would you?" His smile grew wider.

"H-H-How do you know that name?" The Commodore took several steps back while Ace's smile stretched as far as it could. Nojiko glanced from Tekina to Ace. There was something going on and she was hoping that this would work.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." He got up into a crouching position before jumping back onto his feet to stand. Brushing himself off, he looked over at Nojiko and winked at her, sending a million emotions through her. "Anyways, what do I owe this surprised visit?"

"W-Well, for your information, I'm here to conduct the monthly inspection of this village for the Straw Hat Pirates or any other pirates for that matter."

"Do you see any?" He asked.

"Not yet, but I still have a few more days to search the entire island. My first and last stop is Kokoyashi Village. I'll be back." She glared at Ace before calling for her men to follow her back to the fleet. They had one week before the Commodore would be back, and hopefully Nojiko and Ace could find a ship within that time limit.

"Musoka?" He turned his attention to Nojiko who blushed at the quick coming name.

"Well, you fall asleep all the time so you must be dreaming about something…" She rounded the corner of her house and saw that the marines had departed quite fast from her property. "Anyway, we have to find you a boat before she comes back."

"How long do we have?" Tossing his sunglasses aside, he came up behind her and looked out to the horizon as the sun started to set a bright orange red.

"One week, if we're lucky." She turned around to face him and nearly blushed at how close he was to her. His features were adult, but there was a hint of youthfulness hidden below his freckles and playful attitude. He didn't take many things seriously, but when he was talking with her in her dinning room about how she felt about Nami's leaving, it hinted that there was something mature in this overgrown child. There was something that was drawing her towards him, and it made her want to know exactly what that something was. "Ace, you do realize that's not a lot of time, right?"

He looked away from the setting sun and peered into her eyes. There was sadness hidden behind pain and joy, which was an odd combination for someone to possess. But that combination pulled him closer to her so that she wouldn't be alone to be smothered in the pain that seemed to be controlling her more and more. What was he to do? He needed to warn Luffy about Teach, but this woman, who saved him from his own pitiful weakness for a pirate, needed him as well to take away that pain. Would it be so bad if he offered her something that she couldn't resist?

"Yeah." He mumbled as he stared at her supple sandy skin. She was a slight frame for her personality. He could see her body shake from the salty breeze that was picking up and felt that for an average person, this was probably causing her some unpleasantness. "Nojiko," he placed his hands on her shoulders and the sudden warmth of his body sent chills down hers and his spine. Her body was colder than other normal people's and this worried her.

The wind picked up rustling the branches of the mikans trees and the shutters of the house. For a moment, the wind could even send a chill down _his_ spine.

"Come on, let's go back in." He placed his arm around her shoulders, making her small figure come closer to his heated system as he led her back into the shelter. As soon as they were inside, she walked over to her couch and sat down, wrapping the quilt over her quiver frame. "Should I start a fire?" He asked as he noticed the small fireplace in the room.

She nodded "yes" as another chilled spasm crawled up her spine.

He crouched down into towards the fireplace and placed his left index finger onto the logs. With the slight touch, he ignited the logs with no problem and walked over to Nojiko who could use his heat as well. He sat down next to the quivering woman and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, once again bringing her closer to him. The feeling of having another human being in his arms was nice, especially since it had been too long. The lonely nights he had spent started to creep into his mind, but the quaking Nojiko had snapped him out of it as he tightened his hold around her.

"Thank you, Ace." She looked up at him, and he could start to see a flame burn in her eyes. It replaced the pain and sadness that once engulfed the dark ocean blue of them, but there was still something missing in that inferno. She rested her head onto his shoulder and took in the unnatural warmth that he was generating. Of course, it never crossed her mind that he could be an Akuma no Mi user.

"It's no problem. I understand." He brushed his hands along her arms to cause friction to heat her body even more, but even though he knew the quilt was suppose to help her warm up, he couldn't help but feel like it would be better to touch skin to skin. Although, he was afraid that his skin would be too hot for her to handle.

"I also mean from earlier." Her sigh was a bit unusual with the quaking and all, "Lately, I've been worrying about Nami and how she was feeling, but I think I've been lonely. I'm not used to being alone for so long because when she was still with Arlong's crew, she would at least come back every month or two. But now, she's happy and I'm all alone…" She couldn't hold back the tears any more and saw how they turned to steam when they fell to Ace's skin.

"Trust me, she's fine. If you allowed her to leave with Luffy, then you must have trusted him enough for your sister. She trusts him, you trust him, and I trust him. There should be no reason why you should worry about your sister."

"But that's just it. I'm not worried anymore, but jealous. She's out having fun with her adventures while I'm stuck here all alone. If I could trade places, I would." She started to cry more. "But, that's just mean of me to think. Sure, I used to be harsh on her, but would I really take away her long awaited happiness for mine?"

"Is this why you're shedding tears?" He placed his hand underneath her jaw so that she would look into his eyes. "If you left, who would've saved me from the ocean? If you weren't there, I would've died not knowing how great a person you were with your unthinking hospitality. So, Nojiko, thank you." He kissed her on her cheek to show his gratitude. When he brought his head back up, he saw the perplexed look upon her face.

"You missed." She brought her hands behind his neck and brought his head down to hers. She placed her lips against his and surprised him with the gesture, but it didn't stop him. He placed his hands on her waist and brushed off the quilt, letting in the cold draft that hadn't been lifted yet.

Her skin was cold while his was hot, thanks to his Mera Mera no Mi. She could feel his heat radiating from within and begged for it. She wanted to feel warm again with the happiness that he was supplying ever since she had found him drowning in the ocean. Even though it was a very short time since they've known each other, she felt drawn to him like no other man. This was something new and fun. She felt like experiencing this adventure.

"Nojiko," he whispered as he focused on the corner of her mouth and inched his way down her neck. Not missing a single crevice of her skin, he made his way to her collar and kissed across the bone until he reached the other side of her neck. Kissing his way back up, he couldn't help himself but nibble on small parts of her skin, sending little jolts up and down her spine. Their lips met again as he lightly bit down on her bottom lip.

He moved his hands underneath her shirt and slid his them up her back so that they could land first onto the couch as he put some of his body weight onto her and rest on top of her. Moving his lips aside from hers, he lifted her shirt from her body to reveal a green bra and a flat stomach moistened with sweat from the heat of his closely pressed body. He made contact with her lips again before traveling back down to her collarbone. After kissing across her elegant tattoo, he made his way down to her bra and, lucky for him, it snapped off in the front revealing soft twins of flesh. He made his way to the little pink bud centered on the left breast and circled it with his tongue causing Nojiko to moan out in pure pleasure. He could taste the salt of her sweat as he continued on with tracing the bud with his tongue and softly nibbling it from time to time so that he could hear her moans and groans of his name.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, burrowing her fingers into his ebony hair. The softness warmed her hands as she wanted more from him. She pulled his head back up to hers and kissed him this time, switching places by pushing up onto his body causing him to fall onto his back. She pulled his white shirt over his head and threw onto the floor next to her light blue tank top. This time she was the dominant one by kissing down his neck and trailed down to his stomach. He was so well built and everything about his perfectly carved features pulled her closer to him, beckoning for her to claim him as hers and only hers.

He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her up so that his lips touched hers, and he, once again, switched places with her so he could be on top and in control. He pulled at her shorts as he kissed her stomach and nearly ripped them from her body. She tried closing her legs together so that he wouldn't be able to take the shorts because it embarrassed her to be in this position.

He chuckled as a devious idea popped into his mind. "Alright, I won't." He slid the shorts back up to her hips and was about to re-button them, when she sat up confused. "I guess you can't take the heat." He smirked.

"Like hell. I can handle some heat." She pounced onto his body and forced him back down onto his back.

"I thought so, but it's about time that you stop worrying for others. So, why don't you just relax," he pushed her onto her back, "and enjoy." He smiled before resuming his tongue battle with hers. His hands went to work and finally pulled off her shorts to find light green panties. He slid his kisses down her neck to her stomach and stopped at her thighs. Light kiss lined the inside of her thighs as she squirmed a bit to the sensation that he was sending her.

He could smell an aroma coming from her panties and so he looked up. Her cheeks were bright red as she placed her index finger in her mouth to silence her moaning, but he came back up to her mouth and pulled the finger out. A smile crept on his face as he saw this delicately strong woman being controlled by his will. It gave him pure ecstasy to see her like this. He moved his hands back down to her hips and squeezed his fingers underneath the straps of lining, pulling the little underwear down to her ankles before sliding them off and throwing them next to the others articles of clothing. He scuttled his fingers across her stomach causing her to giggle at the heated touch before resting along her womanhood.

"Ace…" She moaned.

"What, you don't trust me?" He smirked before sliding one finger into the crevice. A sweet moan escaped her lips and it only added heat to the flames. He added another finger and to his pleasure she groaned for his name. Both of his fingers slid in and out slowly at first and then he sped up as he brushed against her "sweet" spot where she screamed out in ecstasy and released precious juices.

He pulled out his fingers and brought them to his lips. The salty fluid was just as sweet as it smelled. He placed his hands behind her neck and brought her face close to his so that his hot breath bounced off of hers. Her eyes showed signs of lust and wanting as if she was begging him for more, but the toying and teasing was much more fun. To see her have fun with this pleasure was better than probably he receiving the same treatment, but to his never ending surprised, she pushed him down onto his back, once again, and made her way to his belt. She undid the notch and yanked off of his waist, throwing it down with the rest. She could feel the bulge underneath his jeans asking for her to come and release it from the stress that the material was putting on it.

She smiled as she tore the jeans off of his body and threw them down with the belt. His manhood popped out from the stress and she couldn't help but stare. He couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.

"What's wrong? I thought you could handle the heat." He mocked and raised himself into a sitting position, but Nojiko pushed him back down as she started to kiss down to his naval.

She kissed the top of his shaft before she took her first two fingers and lightly stroked up. The touch sent shivers down his spine, but he wasn't cold; instead, he felt pleasure in the touch. It was heated and gentle and he knew that she was going to take control, which he never liked, being helpless. She smiled as she thought how strong this pirate must be if he says he is a Commander of a whole ship, but then she thought how vulnerable he must be now that she has hold of something precious to any man. He saw the devilish smile and knew he was going to be a world full of trouble with this woman, the only woman who could probably get away with this.

She kissed the head again and slowly took it in her mouth. She could feel his body tense as she slowly moved her tongue up and down the shaft, and his moans were like music to her ears. Inching her way even farther, she nearly took in the whole limb before he placed his hands on her head, guiding her to where he felt most pleased. His body heat sky rocketed and she could feel herself absorb that heat into her own body wanting more and more of that magical feeling. For some reason, she knew when to stop before he hit his climax point and she started to travel back up his naval to his neck and landed on his mouth. He kissed her back and took control once again.

He pushed her onto her back and once again started to nibble on her pink bud on her breast. He pulled on it, sending a little scream out of her mouth; he sucked on it, allowing a moan to be heard; and he flicked it with his tongue, making her tremble with the arousal. Like pushing buttons, he knew what she liked and what made her want him more, so he kissed back up her neck until he reached her mouth. He kissed her once and then rested his lips next to her ear.

"When you play with fire, you get burned, so do you still want the heat?" He whispered as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"I've never been burned," she smirked.

"There's a first time for everything." He kissed her once more before kneeling on the couch. He stared down at the woman, taking once last glance of her purity before he raised her leg to open her womanhood to him.

Her cheeks began to redden in embarrassment as she saw how long he was taking to stare at her, so she placed her index finger back into her mouth in anticipation for the pain that she was initially going to receive. He smiled at her innocence even though she paraded in seductive clothes for attention and now she was begging for him-only him. Ace placed the head of his manhood at the opening of her womanhood and teased her for a moment, and then he slowly entered and saw how she gripped the material of the couch as the initial pain took over. He pulled himself out to the point where only his head was still attached to her, and then he thrust it in as far as he could, releasing her from her virginity.

As she screamed, lightning crashed in the distance covering her sweet music. He grunted as the walls of her womanhood closed tightly around his manhood. Never had he felt like this where his whole body was on fire, and he could literally light himself on fire. The fire though was internal and only he and Nojiko could feel its flames right now, keeping the warmth all to themselves

"Noj…iko…" He moaned as everything began to get hotter and as he could feel himself beginning to reach his climax point.

"Ace…!" She reached up for him and he rested his body down onto hers so that she could wrap her arms around his neck.

They both screamed in unison as another wave of thunder and lightning silenced their passionate screams. His body collapsed onto hers from the exhaustion and only their heavy panting and the roaring fire behind them could be heard. He wrapped his arms around her torso and he flipped both of them onto their sides. She opened her eyes and smiled at Ace. His ebony hair was matted with sweat and she could only guess that hers was too. She looked into his glazed eyes and saw that he was on the verge of falling asleep, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. He hummed at the gesture and opened his eyes more to see her in his arms.

"I can handle heat pretty well, huh?" She smiled at him, and he chuckled back, shaking both of their bodies.

"Yeah, I guess so." He shut his eyes as she closed hers and they both fell peacefully asleep.

* * *

_**This was my very first lemon, so I hope you like it. Also, I would like to point out why I'm "stalling". First off, I need to finish the Thriller Bark Arc so that I can fit Brooke into the fanfic and second off, this couple will be in the future so this was actually a great way to merge the things that I want and what I'm missing.**_

_**There are some puns that are hidden in this chapter and I would like to share them with you:**_

_**Musoka means dreamer and I thought that would be a funny cover name since Ace has a habit of sleeping at odd moments.**_

_**The Commodore's name is Eizoku Tekina which means persistent. A great name for a girl who wants to be high ranked in the marines, huh?**_

_**Please read and review! (^-^) **_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tears streamed her face as she clutched her stomach. It had only been a couple of weeks since he had left, but she continued to look out to the ocean for him, hoping he would come back with his childish smile and take her into his arms once again. He devoted himself to the sea and she knew that he was a wanted "criminal" for being a pirate, but she couldn't help but feel selfish for keeping him away from his dream. If he wished to be a pirate on the sea, then she would have no choice but to let him go.

Her stomach gave a lurch and she fell to her knees. Clutching at her stomach, she could feel something uneasy as she heaved and only more tears spilled out.

"Why?" She cried as her fist came in contact with the ground. "And to make matters worse…" she could feel this burn marks on her hips that were his hand prints and the knot in her stomach, which was most likely caused by him as well.

There was one more feeling that she couldn't shake off. It was as if she could feel something horrible happening out in the world. Something bad happened to her Ace.

* * *

"Yohohohoho, yohohohohoho!" Their newest nakama was singing this late at night. It was relaxing to hear with the waves as both of them exchanged notes.

Nami walked out onto the garden part of Sunny and looked up at the stars. Some of the others were already in their personal rooms while she felt to stargaze as Brook played his violin. There was a slight breeze off of the ocean and it brushed her hair into her face. Sitting down to lessen the wind, she could hear footsteps behind her. Of course there were others still up, not including Brook, so it didn't surprise her when she heard them stop right behind her. Although, when she felt the warmth of hands resting on the top of her shoulders, she did flinch at the touch and turned her head around to see the identity of the nakama.

"Oh, it's just you." She sighed as he sat down next to her and then he lay back so that the sky seemed vaster. "Luffy, what are you doing?"

He sighed and smiled at her. "I can't sleep."

"Baka…" She muttered. "If you can't sleep, then why are you so happy about it?"

"I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders against the grass.

A star shot by, streaking the night sky with a radiant light. Luffy pointed up and "awed" in amazement while Nami couldn't shake a feeling that somewhere someone was crying and wishing on this night. The star reflected a shining tear that seemed too familiar to her, and not wanting to bring up old memories, she diverted her attention to Luffy. His hair was all strewn across the blades of grass while his infamous straw hat was placed underneath that hard head of his. He looked so peaceful and…

_Young. He looks so young._ She smiled at his "youth" wondering what was making her think that he had grown when in fact he was still the same old Luffy. Yet, he was the Luffy that had kissed her not too long ago, but since then, they haven't talked about it. _Wait, am I forgetting something?_

* * *

"_Luffy…please…don't leave me…" she cried._

"_Nami…I told you once so I told you a million times, I will never leave you." He placed his fingers underneath her chin and pulled her face up so that he could see into her red and puffy brown eyes._

_Her lower lip quivered as she felt another wave of tears coming on, but his stare only grew tenser. She could see the debate forming inside his head and she wished for only one thing, him. As long as he didn't leave her and it wouldn't ruin their friendship, she didn't care what would happen between them._

_He brushed away her current tears and then placed his hand back underneath her chin. He brought her face up closer towards his as she closed her eyes, ready for what he was about to do next. He gently placed his lips on hers and forced her mouth open, even though he knew that there wasn't any force behind it. From the way that their lips and breathing melted together, he knew that she wanted this just as bad as he did and whatever he was doing now was helping her recover. Her breath was warm and sweet as it crept into his mouth. He brushed his tongue against her lower lip, collecting the salty tears that remained, and that sent chills of pleasure down his spine._

_Her arms squeezed against his waist as his hands remained securely behind her head twisting his fingers in her hair as his other hand pulled her slight figure closer to his chest. They both staggered in the heat as Nami brushed up against the ledge of the ship, not noticing what dangers the ocean held below, especially in the Grand Line. All that mattered to them right now was each other and nothing could split that fact from one another._

"_Luffy…" she breathed between gasps._

"_Nami…" he imitated her._

"_Zoro…!" A hushed scream was heard overhead and caused the two to split incase they were found out._

"_Luffy, please, tell me that wasn't you." Nami panted as she tried to regain her heart._

"_No," he looked up at the sky, thinking that was where the noise was coming from, but was sadly disappointed when he only saw stars._

_There was only one other place on the deck where that could've come from, so Nami pointed her attention to the crow's nest and concentrated hard onto the spot. She heard soft moaning coming from above as the sound of metal clattered to the floor of the nest. Only one person crossed her mind that could contain metal on him at this time of night, and then she focused hard on the voice that had called out the name. It was definitely womanly as she moaned which only left two people out of the whole ship that could be up there at this time of night._

"_Uh, Nami, are you feeling better?" Luffy asked as he saw a gleam appear in her eyes. He knew that gleam whenever she was thinking of a way to scam Zoro out of more money, so he let it be. It was usually funny, to him, whenever they got into their money spats._

"_Oh, yeah. I'm feeling much better Luffy." She placed her lips back to his after thanking him. When she broke off, she walked back to her room while rubbing her hands together in her dastardly scheming._

* * *

_Oh, that's right._ She grinned at the memory and looked around on the deck, but neither Robin nor Zoro could be found.

"Hey, Luffy."

"Huh?" He looked up at Nami. Her radiance was just as beautiful as the stars above which nearly blinded him at the moment. He could see a small sparkle hidden behind her eyes, though, and that could only mean one thing. She was up to something and usually when she was up to something; it meant that she was out to annoy Zoro.

"Where's Zoro?" Her smile widened as did his.

"Oi, are you gonna do something to Zoro?" He asked excitedly.

She nodded to answer.

"Can I help?"

Looking up at the sky, she saw that the light streak had vanished along with the tear-like star. She could feel something rise from her toes to her cheeks and turned her attention back to the eagerly waiting Captain. Leaning forward closer to his face, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Of course you can."

* * *

"One thousand five hundred forty-eight…" He brought down the four ton hammer and brought it right back above his head. "One thousand five hundred forty-nine…" He repeated.

"This is a lot more secluded, don't you think?" Robin sighed as she sat down on the circular couch of "Zoro's Training Room". She rested her chin in her hand as she looked out at the night sky. It wasn't that long ago that she and he were alone like this, but it was more secluded and less chilled.

"Aa," he grunted as he continued. "One thousand five hundred fifty-one…"

She stared out one of the many windows and saw a streak of light fly by, bringing her mind to darkness as she smiled at the nostalgia. There was a streak of light on that day as well, and she couldn't help but remember that night. They were alone together, but the winds weren't against them at all. In fact, they were so secluded that the winds couldn't even touch them this high up.

"Zoro," she hummed, "why don't you take a break?" Casting her eyes onto his naked chest, she couldn't help but feel a shiver of desire slink down from her head to her toes.

"I can't." He swung the hammer down for the one thousand five hundred and fifty fifth time. _I need to get stronger, and if that means I need to be away from her in order to protect her, then so be it._

He felt a warm hand brush across his chest, nearly making him jump from the surprise. Looking down, he saw that the hand was attached to his chest and that only made him look back at Robin who was smiling at his embarrassment, causing his cheeks to flare up in humiliation. He clicked his tongue in frustration between two things that he wanted to do.

_I need to get stronger._ He told himself, but the hand still lingered on his chest, drawing circles around the top of his scar and wiping away drops of his sweat. Even though this hand was there because of her ability, it was still her hand and he felt a strong desire to leap out for her and give in. But, there was another desire to tell her to leave him alone so that he could train without any distractions, and she was a major distraction.

"Zoro, you're working yourself to the bone. Why don't you take a break?" She purred again, but this time it was more seductive, more wanting.

_Could one hour seriously harm me?_ He shook his head "no" and continued to swing the hammer. "One thousand five hundred fifty-seven…"

More hands appeared and caressed his overheated body, letting the hands cool his skin as he continued to stretch and grow his muscles. The playful touching that she was doing was causing him immense pain as he tried to convince his mind to ignore them for now. When he was done with his usual two thousand, then he would give in and enjoy every second of her presence. He could already see her wither in pleasure as he caressed her body, but this thought was distracting him for the reality that would occur later. But, the hands had a different plan. They traveled down more south towards his abdomen, but he released the hammer with a loud clang and stopped the hands before they could do anything more.

She giggled at his reaction and dispersed her hands from his body, patting the seat next to her for him to join. Seeing now that he was "done", he shrugged and sat down. She still had her head in her hand as she looked out the window to the starry night sky. The stars lit up the night better than any other night. It was as if the heavens were smiling down on the sea. Of course, there couldn't be any God, according to his beliefs.

"Zoro…"

He could feel her hot breath against his ear as she blew into it. His spine spiked all the way down to his toes as he felt her hands once again on his chest, stroking the sweat off of his body. Realizing what she was trying to start, he switched roles with her so that he could be the dominant one, not wanting to look weak with a woman.

He forced his lips onto hers and wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her in place as he wrestled with her tongue. He could feel her fingers run through his short, untidy green hair as he brought one of his hands up her back inside her shirt. She smiled at his touch as his fingers brushed against the clasp of her bra, but she couldn't wait any longer. His smell, his touch, his very presence was driving her hormones through the roof, so she unlaced her corset to speed up the process.

"Nami, what are you doing?" Luffy whined from within the room.

Immediately, both Zoro's and Robin's heads turned away from each other to see the mikan haired Navigator and the infamous straw hat of Luffy. Nami was sitting on the circular couch but on the other side of the room while Luffy was bouncing impatiently up and down as, once again, Zoro had to help Robin button up her shirt.

"You said I could help!" He whined again.

"Don't worry, you're a big help." She smiled sweetly to him, but when she looked over at Zoro, a greedy grin spread widely across her whole features.

"Damn you, Nami…" Zoro cursed under his breath while Robin blushed a deep crimson.

"Now, don't act that way Zoro. You know what you have to do in order for me to keep my mouth shut." She closed her eyes and held out her hand for her expectant payment.

"Nami-san, please," Robin smiled, knowing that she was usually on the Navigator's good side when it came to secrets.

"Robin, I'm not making _you_ pay, but if this baka doesn't pay, I'll have no choice." She wiggled her fingers in impatience.

"Oh, Nami-san, I never knew you could be this cruel…" She sighed.

"Hmph, fine. Tell everyone, I don't care." Zoro crossed his arms across his chest with a "humph" and turned his head away so that he didn't make eye contact with the devil woman.

"Nani?" Her eyes popped open with the unexpected answer.

"Zoro…?" Robin looked up at him with wonder. She had no idea that he wouldn't care about something like that, even if it meant social awkwardness with their nakama.

"Fine, go ahead and tell them all. See what if I care." He grunted; the anger and rage that had built up had dispersed as he saw Nami's shocked face. He sat back down and placed his arm over Robin's shoulders, making her feel the most uncomfortable in the room.

"You can't be serious." Nami gaped as a huge grin spread across his features.

"Try me." He growled in content. The sight of shock and surprise on Nami's face gave him satisfaction and safety. He called her bluff.

The ship shook to a hard left nearly shuffling everyone from their positions. Robin fell into Zoro's lap and Luffy fell into Nami's, but both Zoro and Nami fell to the floor. The ship did another jolt, but to the right this time and the crew was shuffled once again. Nami was thrown from Luffy and fell right through the door in the floor of the room. She knew if she were land on the deck from this height, she wasn't going to make. So, she screamed for Luffy, hoping that he would do something in time.

"LUFFY!"

Something caught her, but it didn't feel warm like Luffy's touch. Whoever caught her landed safely on the deck with her in his arms. He seemed small and much younger than Luffy, but his ebony black hair was the only thing that seemed familiar about him. His eyes were closed so she couldn't get a good look at him, but his pale white skin reflected the moon's glow quite nicely.

"NAMI!"

She looked up at the "Training Room" and saw Luffy's silhouette jump from the opening. He stretched his arm to the mast for support as he landed down next to the young mystery man. The two would've looked identical if it wasn't for the difference in skin tone. The man that had saved her was definitely younger than Luffy, but his appearance was too similar. Although, so far, his attitude was nothing like Luffy's.

"Who are you?" Luffy demanded as Zoro leapt down and as hands sprouted a staircase down for Robin to catch up.

The man released Nami and made way towards his sword that she hadn't noticed until now. Never did it occur to her that this man was a swordsman. She ran over to her Captain's side and assembled her Perfect Clima Tact so that she wouldn't be too useless for him. When she looked up after a second that it took for her to assemble her weapon, she saw a blade held against her neck and the pearled mystery man standing right in front of her. Luffy's face was covered in shock as Zoro froze with Robin at his side.

"Yuki! Yuki!"

The man turned his head at the sound of the name. He opened his eyes to reveal a crimson coloration that Nami had never seen before. She sighed in relief as Yuki drew his sword back and sheathed it. But, this was a mistake on his part. Without a single sound of warning, Luffy sent the man flying into the galley.

There were screams coming from inside where Usopp, Chopper, and Brook seemed to be, knowing the distinct sounds of their cries. But the screams disappeared as the man was sent flying back out, most likely caused by Sanji. Yuki landed face first at Zoro's feet and again the kid had bad luck. Robin blossomed her hands from the ground and held him tight while Zoro placed the edge of one of his katanas at the base of the boy's neck. He looked up at Luffy, who had seemed to calm down a bit, waiting for orders.

"There you are, Yuki!"

Everyone turned their attention to a little girl with chocolate brown curls. She couldn't have been older than ten years and she had managed to successfully sneak on an infamous pirate ship. But what was stranger about this kid was that she was smiling at her friend who was laying captive to a band of "vicious" pirates. She skipped over to Yuki's side and smiled down at him.

Sanji and everyone else that was in the galley came running out since there was no commotion.

"Found you!" She cheered and then turned her attention up to the Straw Hat Crew. "Who are you?" She cocked her head to the side with complete innocence and confusion.

"DON'T ASK THAT NOW!" Everyone, but Luffy, told her.

"I'm Luffy." He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"DON'T ANSWER HER!"

She wore a dark purple glove that stretched beyond her elbow, and when he touched it, Luffy felt his strength drain from his arm. "Nani?" He released from her grip and felt the strength from before return.

"Mugiwara no Luffy, it's very nice to finally meet you." She smiled at him, changing her demeanor from innocent to dangerous. "I'm Eizoku Aniket." She hissed.

"The Viper?"

Everyone looked at Robin whose eyes were wide with either wonder or fear.

"Yes, I'm Mamushi Anne and he's," she pointed to her still captive friend, "Sairento Ansatsu Yuki."

"Robin, do you know her?" Luffy asked, not willing to let the assassin go yet.

"Um, Luffy, could you let my friend go? He won't hurt anyone, I promise." Aniket held up her right and placed it over her heart. Luffy continued to ignore the girl until Robin shook her head "yes". He nodded to Zoro and he sheathed back his katana, but his eyes never wandered far from the boy's. "Oh, thank you Luffy!" She leapt up and hugged him. This caught everyone off guard, especially since they didn't have to blink before she was already wrapped around his neck.

"This is Mamushi Anne and her bounty is worth over-" Robin began.

"Whoa, wait. This kid has a bounty?" Franky approached all of his other stunned nakama.

"Yes, and it's worth over-"

"Yohohoho, that's a bit frightening." Brook interrupted.

"I know, but you don't know how much she's worth. She's worth-"

"How can a kid like this have a bounty?" Usopp interrupted Robin, and that was the last straw. She crossed her arms and several hands appeared on Franky's, Brook's, and Usopp's shoulders then they clasped over their mouths to shut them up.

"Mamushi Anne's bounty is worth over two hundred fifty million beli."

Everyone's eyes bugged out from their sockets. Sanji dropped his lit cigarette and Zoro only grinded his teeth. Luffy took a step back, hoping that this girl would get off of him, and Nami dropped her Perfect Clima Tact. If it wasn't for Robin's ability, Brook and Usopp would've been screaming their heads off.

"T-Two h-hundred and f-fifty m-m-million beli?" Chopper gasped and nearly passed out from the shock.

Yuki crossed his arms and glared over at Luffy who had caught him off guard. Then, he turned his attention to Nami who could only stare at the little girl who acted like she had no care in the world. There was something about that woman that was interesting and irritating him.

Aniket giggled as if she got this reaction a lot. Of course with a bounty like that, she should be a bit more cautious, but her attitude only glowed in warmth and carefree. "I believe that's more than yours when you first started, Mugiwara." She looked over her shoulder and saw Chopper. Releasing her grip on Luffy, Aniket raced off and grabbed Chopper in her clutches while everyone was still amazed at her speed. "He's sooooooo cute!" She squealed.

"Aniket?" Robin cooed.

"Yes?" She snuggled her face deeper into Chopper's fur as her attention was taken away by Robin.

"On behalf of everyone here, I would like to ask you why you are here." She smiled sweetly at the child, hoping to pull out something.

"I saw the jolly." She pointed up towards the skull wearing a straw hat with one hand while the other remained securely around Chopper so that he wouldn't run away.

"And that made you come aboard?" Nami asked.

"Well yeah. Ace said if I ever saw your jolly then I had to tell you something."

"Ace?" Luffy cocked his head to the side, wondering what he wanted to tell him.

"Yeah, I ran into him in East Blue a little bit ago. He told me to tell you to watch over _that_ island."

"_That_ island?"

"Yeah, that's what got me too. Although, I did run into him when I was going to visit my sister. She's a Commodore." She announced proudly.

"Um, Aniket, could you tell us a little more about _that_ island?" Nami asked since she wasn't being very specific.

"Now let's see. Where was I going to again?" She pressed her finger to her lips in frustration.

"Kokoyashi Village," Yuki spoke for the first time.

"Kokoyashi…" Nami's eyes grew wide.

"Village…?" Luffy cocked his head to the side, almost not remembering who was from that familiar name.

"That's right! Kokoyashi Village! I knew I would remember that name." Aniket shook her head, finally remembering what had happened.

"What happened to Kokoyashi Village?" Nami demanded. Forgetting that this little girl had a bigger bounty than Luffy's, she ran and grabbed the girl nearly shaking her to unconsciousness.

"Annie!" Like lightning, Yuki sprinted and pulled Nami off of Aniket. He pinned her down to the grass on Sunny and unsheathed his sword, holding it to the base of her neck. "Don't you dare lay your hands on Annie." He threatened.

Luffy stretched his arm so that it reached and clutched to Yuki's shoulder while Sanji had his leg ablaze and ready by the boy's body. Zoro drew all three of his katanas and prepared for an attack while everyone else dashed for their weapons of choice.

"Don't you dare a lay a finger on Nami-san." Sanji puffed.

"**Sasu Sasu**** no Misuto**," a dark purple mist filled the air causing everyone, except Yuki, to freeze in place, "**Katai Ugoki**."

"I-I-I can't m-move." Luffy couldn't even wiggle a finger.

"How dare that girl touch me. There must be something wrong with her." Aniket walked over to the frozen crew and caressed the frozen Luffy, causing fire to burn up Nami's spine. "Now, I've been nice to you, so there is no need for you to get rough. I told you what Ace told me, now, if you don't mind, I must be going." She turned to walk away and then turned her attention back to the crew. "You'll be fine in about ten minutes." She smiled and called for Yuki to follow.

He sheathed his katana and positioned himself so that he stood up firm and tall. With a last glance down at Nami with his dark crimson eyes, he walked away, following his Captain's lead. His demeanor was not that of a boy's.

* * *

_**Ten minutes later**_…

"W-Whoa…!" Both Luffy and Sanji fell so that they were on top of Nami's still stiff body.

"Luffy…" Tears started to fall down Nami's cheeks as the two men helped her back up onto her feet.

"Kokoyashi Village…Luffy, where's that?" Chopper asked as he rubbed his stiff neck.

"Kokoyashi Village is in East Blue." Zoro answered as he sheathed his swords. "That's where Nami was raised and left her sister."

"But what was Ace doing out in East Blue before…?" Usopp muttered leaving out _that_.

"East Blue? That's super far from here." Franky mumbled.

"Luffy," Nami leaned into Luffy's shoulder and continued, "We have to go and see what's wrong, please."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her there while patting her head in comfort. He knew what she was feeling and couldn't help but feel that way again. If something was happening to Nojiko, he was sure Nami wanted to find out if she was alright or not.

"Don't worry, Nami." He whispered, "We'll go."

* * *

_**SPOILER ALERT!**_

_**If you don't want to find out the spoiler then I won't tell you. So I'll try and keep the spoiler, which will appear in this fic, as much a secret as I can, but I need to explain a couple of things. This time period is taking place after the execution and even though I haven't gotten that far myself, I still knows who is executed. So, if I get some things wrong, please don't correct me because I will eventually correct myself as I progress, but I did have to put it out there that this is a very crucial point in the Straw Hats' lives.**_

_**By the way, I'll explain some of the things going on in this chapter.**_

_***Eizoku Aniket= has the same name as her sister except that it was spelled backwards. I couldn't think of anything clever so I thought this would be cute.**_

_***Mamushi Anne= is Aniket's nickname and it means Viper Anne. Aniket had eaten the Sasu Sasu no Mi which translates into the Sting Sting Fruit. **_

_***Yuki D. Roiyaru= is the first mate of the Mamushi Pirates. His background is unknown, even to me. (Little bits and pieces right now, but I'll tell you all later.)**_

_***Sairento Ansatsu Yuki= is Yuki's nickname which means Silent Assassin Yuki. His bounty is worth over two hundred ten million beli.**_

_***Sasu Sasu no Misuto= translates to Sting Sting Mist. **_

_***Katai Ugoki= translates to Stiff Movement. Small, almost microscopic, darts are pierced into the victim's spine and temporarily paralyzes them.**_

_**Alright, I'm on my way to Impel Down in the manga so I already know of the 11 Supernovas but consider these two just as strong as any of them. Since they are both young, some people don't consider their bounties threatening so that's why people didn't calculate them with the 11 Supernovas. People believe that they just pissed off Aniket's older sister and she was just making a big fuss over it, but be forewarned. They are not to be messed with.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter even if it seemed a bit slowed. Please continue on reading and reviewing! (^-^) **_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

No matter how many times she crunched the numbers, it would take them several months to get back and that wasn't going to work with her. Nami had locked herself up in her room ever since the other night. How was she going to get back home before the suspected time she had conjured up? Unless she was to get through the calm belt, there was no other faster way back. Although, there might be a possibility with the help of someone else.

"Franky!" Nami burst through her door and out onto the deck. Robin was reading like usual while Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy were sitting on the rail, trying to catch fish for the tank. She couldn't see anyone else so she ventured down into the lower level. If her assumptions of her crew were correct, then Sanji would be in the kitchen, Zoro would be up in his "training room", Brook would be…well, she wouldn't know where he would be, but she knew that Franky would be down where his contraptions would be.

Like hitting a bull's-eye, she was right. Nami found him down with the Soldier Dock System. He looked like he was repairing some of the soldiers, especially since the last time he let Luffy ride the mini Merry.

"Franky! There you are!" She felt a bit of relief wash over her as the thought of her plan might work.

"Huh?" He turned around and raised his sunglasses to see who it was that was calling his name. "Nami?"

"Franky, I need to ask you something." She panted heavily after running all the way down the ship. "Is it possible to use the paddles through the calm belt without rest?"

"I don't see why not. Just as long as you have a direct course, it should work. Why?"

"Thank you." She smiled as hard as she could and left without any other word. It was going to take some time to make a direct route, seeing how far they were within the Grand Line, but she would find a way.

She couldn't help but stop when the sun's heat touched her skin. It was a bit unusual for this time of day to be this hot, so she turned her direction up to the skies. There were no clouds in sight and the wind didn't seem to be that strong.

_Great, there's a storm coming. I have to hurry._ She increased her speed so that she could reach her room. _Nojiko, I'm coming._

* * *

Robin shuffled through the newspaper and saw the usual articles of wanted posters, but the ones that caught her attention were the ones that belonged to two familiar faces. Underneath their photos, there were small clips that indicated what they were wanted for so she continued on.

_Wanted: $250,000,000_

_Eizoku Aniket a.k.a. Mamushi Anne_

_At the young age of ten, this girl defied an inhuman possibility. She is wanted for the destruction of ten marine ships, the assault of a Celestial Dragon, escaping slavery, and the crime of becoming a pirate. Even though her age is young, she is dangerous with the Sasu Sasu no Mi ability. Beware of her sting._

_Wanted: $210,000,000_

_Yuki D. Roiyaru a.k.a. Sairento Ansatsu Yuki_

_A boy at the age of fourteen is the only suspect in several government assassinations. Not much is known of this boy's abilities, but what is determined is his speed. Because of this speed, there has only been one reported sighting of this fugitive. His current position is the first mate of Mamushi Anne. Beware of his blade._

Robin blinked twice when she saw Yuki's middle initial. "D." it wasn't very common, but ever since she joined the crew, she has been seeing that initial and it was starting to become very interesting. She tried to remember the boy's features from the other night, but all she could remember were the red eyes, unusually pale skin, and ebony hair. Though, his outer appearance did seem a bit unusual, what was more unusual was the fact that he seemed much older than fourteen. His demeanor from last night seemed that of an experienced warrior, but at the age of fourteen, he had already been called an assassin. A fugitive of the government was usually called a pirate, but how could that little girl and that young boy be called pirates?

_I wouldn't doubt their strength though. There is only two things that are threatening from that girl and they are her Sasu Sasu no Mi powers and the fact that she took out ten marine ships, although, they weren't very specific as to what kind of ships…But what about that boy? He took out several government officials with only one witness. I wouldn't underestimate him either._ Robin bit down on her lip as she contemplated on how to deal with those two the next time that they appeared because she knew there was going to be a next time.

"Robin-chwaaaaan!"

She heard Sanji calling and turned to the next page of the newspaper. The smell of cinnamon and vanilla distracted her and made her look up at Sanji. The usual hearts in his eyes were no surprise, but there was a low grunting sound coming from above that was unusual. A warm feeling spread down to her toes at the thought of the other night. She remembered what Zoro had told Nami about their relationship.

_He didn't care if they knew._ She smiled.

"Ahhhhhh, my beautiful Robin-chwaaaaaan! I'll do anything to make that smile stay on your face!" Sanji shouted and threw his arms high into the air.

"Whoa! Yahoo!" Luffy shouted from the railing, causing both Sanji and Robin to look over at the fishing party.

Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper managed to catch a giant fish. It wasn't the size of a sea king, but it also wasn't smaller than a great white. Luffy was holding it high above his head while both Chopper and Usopp dangled from the mouth of the creature, still holding onto their fishing poles. The huge smile upon their Captain's face was just addicting and Robin couldn't help but giggle at his joy.

"Sanji, let's have him for dinner!" Luffy cheered.

"Alright then, just throw him in the tank for now." Sanji agreed and went back to the kitchen.

Robin flipped back to the wanted posters and stared at the pictures of Aniket and Yuki. There was a difference in their eyes. Yuki's was filled with fear, confidence, and strength while Aniket's was filled with joy, innocence, and fear. The only thing that she could find in common with the two fugitives was fear. And so, this was bothering her. What did they fear?

* * *

"KENPAI!" The crew cheered.

"Banquet, banquet, banquet!" Luffy sang as everyone dug into their food. There was no real reason for the crew to have a banquet, but since Luffy was Captain, they had no choice but to go along with it.

Brook picked up his violin and started to play Bink's Sake while Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy put chopsticks up their noses and made faces. Zoro drank while Sanji served both Nami and Robin tea, although Nami was more interested in finding that direct course. Franky was having fun playing his guitar along with Brook's violin. The whole crew were enjoying themselves this night for no reason at all.

"Come on, Nami! Dance!" Luffy pulled Nami by the wrist so that she was in the middle of the partying. Even though she didn't feel like dancing, she was having fun spending time with him.

Robin giggled as she saw her nakama dance and sing along with Brook's playing. Zoro walked over and sat down in Nami's chair. He took a swig from his mug and looked over toward her. She blushed as he stared and she couldn't help think that he was a bit drunk, but from her experience with him, he could never get drunk. She smiled in his direction and he took another swig. It was a bit odd that he had feelings for her, but he never showed them when they were with the others.

"Are you having fun, Zoro-kun?" It was an act to call him "kun" when with the others.

"Why are you calling me that?" He asked as he took another swig.

She blinked twice in confusion. "Huh?"

"You can stop calling me "kun"." He told her and leaned in towards her. He placed his drink on the table and tucked a strand of raven black hair behind her ear. The noise of the others seemed to drown out as the world closed in around them. He placed his hand behind her head and brought her face closer to his.

She could feel her heart race as his face became closer to hers every time she blinked. It was only a matter of time before their nakama found them, so she took advantage of this moment. She let his lips come into contact with hers, letting the hot breath of his take up the space in her mouth. His tongue brushed against her lower lip sending chills up her spine. This moment was blissful to her, but like she could predict the future, there were loud screams coming from behind them.

"Oi, marimo! What are you doing?" Sanji yelled as they broke their kiss.

"What does it look like, ero-kokku?" Zoro asked, mocking the Cook's emotions.

Everyone could feel the heat radiating from Sanji's body as the anger grew from his toes to his head. Usopp's jaw was dropped as was Brook's and Franky's. Chopper didn't know what was going on, so he cocked his head to the side while Luffy tried to dance with Nami, but she was more worried at what Sanji was going to do.

"Sanji-kun, are you alright?" Nami asked, breaking free from Luffy's grasp.

"Don't you dare touch my Robin-chan!" He made his way to the swordsman with steam blowing from his ears.

"Your Robin?" Zoro raised an eyebrow and made his way to one of his katanas, hoping that the threat was enough, but seeing no end to the cook's anger, he had no choice but to unsheathe a katana and make a charge for him.

"**Veinte Fleur**," ten hands sprouted from the deck to Zoro's body while the other ten sprouted from the floor and wrapped around Sanji's body. She was able to hold them down, despite their immense strength. "Stop," she was breathing heavily from holding down two of the monstrous three; it was actually a miracle that she was able to hold them at all.

Everyone continued to stare at Robin, although, Luffy didn't seem bothered at all. He continued to eat everyone's leftovers, hoping that they wouldn't fight him for them.

The crash of thunder and the flash of lightning startled everyone, especially when the ship gave an unexpected tilt to the right. That caused Robin to lose focus, releasing both Zoro and Sanji from her hold.

_Great, I knew this was going to happen and yet I didn't warn them._ Nami kicked herself, mentally, and immediately took action. "Everyone to their positions! This is a big one!"

The clouds drew closer and darker as the rain began to hail down from the skies. Large swirling currents began to form in the water causing the ship to rock to and fro. Zoro took the port side while Sanji split to the starboard. Franky took the helm while everyone else ran to support Sanji and Zoro. Nami shouted out commands to steer them in the right current. Cyclones started to form on the water's surface, causing massive winds to hit the side of the ship along with the swirling whirlpools.

They were almost in the clear when the ship was shaken and crashed into and unexpected whirlpool. The swirling current caused the ship to rock around, making it difficult to walk on the deck. The grass grew wet and slippery from the hailing rain and by trying to help hold down the sails, Robin missed her footing and was knocked against the railing. With another jerk from the current, she was thrown overboard and fell into the icy black waters. Forgetting, for a split second, that he was an akuma no mi user, Luffy jumped from the top of the mast and into the water. It wasn't until everyone saw this that they realized someone must've fallen overboard. Zoro looked around a saw that Robin wasn't in sight.

"Shit," he muttered and made his way overboard.

"Luffy!" Nami panicked and ran over to the rail. She couldn't see anyone in the blackness of the sea, so she kicked off her shoes and jumped in.

It was a cold splash and it invaded her nostrils with a sting, but she kept pushing forward. There were two hammers down there and she wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed them falling in. Of course, she knew that Luffy would forget that he was a hammer as well and try to save one of his nakamas. He was usually that kind and that kindness was usually kryptonite for him. It was difficult to see in the water as she pushed down, but when she felt the warmth of someone's skin, she grabbed on and pulled as hard as she could so that they could make back up onto the ship.

"Ah! Luffy," she looked down and saw the death-like boy. Looking up, she saw that the ship had managed to stay close by, so she swam as close as she could even though the currents were strong.

"Nami-san!" Sanji threw down a rope so that she could climb up, but with Luffy heavy in her arms, it was nearly impossible.

"I can't!" She called back up.

"Yo, curly-brow, take the helm." Franky traded places with Sanji and leaned over the rail. "**Strong Right**," he shot down his right hand and Nami grabbed on with her free hand, securely holding on to the unconscious Luffy.

She coughed up some water as she landed on the deck, but her main priority was Luffy who still hadn't responded to her. Nami laid him down on the grass, now that they were out of the storm, and placed his straw hat beside his body so that it wouldn't get in the way. She knew that Chopper wanted to take a look at him, but she knew that there was no need. As long as she was able to clear his lungs of water, there should be nothing wrong with him. So, she held his nose and took a deep breath. Nami placed her lips on his and blew her air into him. His body blew up like a balloon, him being rubber and all, but yet he didn't respond. So, she tried over and over feeling the eyes of her nakama behind her, especially Sanji. It was already bad enough that Robin was taken away from but now, it looked as though Nami was being stolen as well.

After about two minutes of CPR, Luffy finally coughed up the sea water that was still causing his body to be a hammer. His eyes fluttered open immediately looked from Nami to the rail. He tried to get up from his rested position but the effects of the water still hadn't left his system.

"R-Robin…" he coughed. Everyone looked in the same direction as him and saw Zoro had climbed up the rope that Sanji had thrown earlier. He was drenched from head to toe and he was carrying Robin in his arms as he made his way on deck.

"I got her." Placing her down gently, he placed one hand on her stomach and lightly pushed down. She immediately coughed up water.

Her eyes fluttered open like Luffy's and immediately rested upon Zoro's face. The worry that he had on before had vanished, but being the "temptress" as she was, she noticed how much that he cared for her so the worry that had vanished still lingered to her.

"Zoro…" she gasped.

"Come on guys. We're not out of the clear yet." Nami told them as another tunnel of wind came their way.

* * *

The night was finally clear with the stars shining brightly underneath the waning moon. After shutting herself up in her room for the past two days, Nami decided to get some fresh air. Finding a straight course to Kokoyashi Village was difficult and sometimes she couldn't help but feel helpless. The last thing that Ace left for Luffy was a message which was also directed to her in a way, but she couldn't find a way to get there. She felt like a helpless little puppy that wasn't able to take care of herself.

"Ugh, damn!" She pounded her fist on the rail of Thousand Sunny. She hated feeling this way, and there was no way that any of the others were going to see her like this.

"Nami-san, what's wrong?" Gray smoke blew beside her while she turned around to see the curly brow of Sanji.

"Uh, Sanji, I, uh, what are you doing?" She stammered while trying to fight back the tears she almost shed.

He inhaled on his cigarette and puffed out smoke before continuing, "I saw that you were all alone. What's wrong?" He repeated.

"I don't know." Her voice sounded detached, distant from her own body. The tears that wanted to reveal themselves had all dried up.

"What do you mean that you don't know?"

"I don't know."

"Nami-san, ever since that Anne-chan told us something about Kokoyashi Village, you've been a nervous wreck spending all of your time in your room. Now, I think I speak for everyone when I say this, but you are scaring us all." He put out his cigarette and tossed the bud into the water. "You haven't eaten, you haven't screamed at anyone, and there have been many issues with money and you haven't dealt with it. You know I will do anything to make you happy, right?" He asked as her eyes only began to darken with grief.

"Sanji," she sighed, "I just need time to think, that's all." She pulled everything she had so that she could smile for him. But, despite all of her efforts, a tear trickled down and rolled off of her cheek.

He wiped off the tear with his thumb and placed that same hand underneath her chin. She could feel his strength bring her face closer to his.

_Oh, hell no. I don't need this._ She thought, but it was too late. His lips had made contact with hers and there was no stopping Sanji from what he wanted. So, she let him have this even if it was only causing her more pain. How could she do this to her nakama? How could she do this to _Luffy_?

She placed the palm of her hands on his chest and tried to push him away. He felt her resist underneath of him, and since he was a gentleman, he brought his lips away-even if he wanted to continue. He stared down into her eyes and saw that they were filled with betrayal and hurt, but what was she betraying? _Who_ was she betraying? Just thinking that she could have someone else from this crew tugged at his heart just like earlier today when everyone found out that Zoro the marimo could love Robin an angel.

"Sanji, I don't need this right now." Nami turned around and headed for her room, hoping the seclusion could fill her time slot with some ideas on how to get a straight path to East Blue.

Her room was dark from being unused for the small time that she hadn't spent in. She collapsed onto her bed, letting the soft linens hold her tired and sore muscles. Even though she hadn't been physically working, she did spend a lot of time thinking and causing her brain agony over two very important subjects. She needed to find a way back home which was a task all its own and she needed to find a way to be left alone. This wasn't the time to be wrapped up in her crew's love triangle.

She wasn't on her bed for a minute when there was a knock at her door. Suspecting that it was Sanji, she didn't respond and hoped that he would go away as long as she ignored him. But, due to her bad luck, it wasn't him. Instead, it was someone who she wouldn't mind spending time with, but out of all the times they could be alone together, he picked now to do it.

"Nami, it's me, Luffy." He knocked again.

Cursing herself under her breath, Nami picked her limp body off of her seductive bed and shuffled over to her door. Unlocking the top latch, she cracked the door so that his face was barely visible in the moonlight behind him.

"Nami," he smiled at her and immediately she felt like hurting herself in some way for what she had done.

"Luffy, I'm tired. What do you want?"

"Well, I didn't thank you for earlier. You saved me, so thank you, Nami." His innocence and youth was visible on his features. She wanted to stretch her arms out and bring him closer to him. He was so close that she could feel his breath bouncing back from her own skin.

"It was a small price to pay for what you've done for me," she told him, "but I don't think that covers my debt."

"Debt? You don't owe me a debt." He told her. "Nami, when you joined my crew that was enough. You don't have to pay me back."

"Yes I do." She pulled him in by his vest and shut the door firmly behind her. Nami locked the door so that no one would barge in, and she made her way to her Captain who was still confused at what she was going to do. "I owe you my life, so let me pay you back." She wasn't sure if this was going to help her mental state, but it was something that she had been dying to do.

Nami walked slowly over to where her Captain stood confused; she brushed her fingers along the buttons of his vest. She could feel hesitation and nervousness in him as she brought her arms around his neck. He placed his hands at her waist instinctively and before he knew it, he was placing his lips to his. Despite this surprise in her plan, she didn't seem turned down, so she continued on. She ran her fingers threw his ebony hair and glued them in place while he somehow knew what to do.

He switched roles with her and started to caress her neck with his soft lips. Traveling from the top of her neck down to her base, he took in her very smell. He knew that she already smelled like mikans but there was something hidden beneath that strong scent. It was the subtle scent of ink that really drew his senses wild. Her dream was on her very smell from her hours of working. It made him want to explore her even more, to find out what she was really made of and to see what made her tick. From kissing her collar to the base of her jaw, he knew that this made her giggle with bliss and that this was a good thing that made her feel good, happy even.

She pushed him onto her bed so that maybe he could get more of an idea at what was really desired from her. He looked up and saw her smile down on him. It was a smile of a goddess and he couldn't help but blush at her presence. He took her hand and started to kiss up from her fingers to her wrist and held her like that. The soft hum of her pulse was relaxing to hear. There was no sign of fear or nervousness, but there was a hum that told him of longing; it was the same longing that was echoing in his heart.

She leaned down and pushed her lips back to his so that she wouldn't be left alone, never again would she be left alone. He leapt up from his spot and traded places with her so that she was sitting on the edge and he was the one looking down. Nami took off her t-shirt and unclasped her bra to reveal her supple breasts to him, only causing more confusion with Luffy. She saw his hesitation and took his hands, placing them firmly on the twins. His blush reddened as he felt her breasts in his hands. This hesitation only lasted a second as, once again, his instincts took over. He pushed her lightly to the bed so that her back was softened by the linens and he was leaning over her exposed torso. Taking his hands off of her breasts, he entwined them with her hands and pinned them behind her head. He leaned in and started to kiss around the little pink buds. The moisture that he was producing sent chills down her spine and caused her nipples to harden at his very touch. She let a little moan escape her mouth, which almost caused him to stop, but somewhere in his mind he knew that moan was a moan of pleasure and not of fear of what he was doing, of which he had no clue.

He thought of what would happen if he took a little bite at the bud and again something told him that it was okay if he did. So, he lightly nibbled at the bud and heard her scream, but again, it wasn't a scream of fear that he detested but it was a scream of pleasure, of wanting more. Luffy soon discovered another thing that she liked. She liked to be massaged, so when he was done with the one, he continued onto the other making sure that it got the same treatment.

"Luffy…" she moaned his name, making him get excited at what he was capable of doing.

He kissed down her stomach to her naval and then made his way back up. He stopped at her breasts again so that he could kiss them gently and then he went up to the base of her neck. This was where he liked to linger because this was the source where the scents of mikans and ink was most found. He traveled up her neck making her giggle instead of moan and then he rested his himself right above her mouth. She stared at him while he took his time to stare back at her, and she couldn't help but blush at how long he was taking to stare at her. He placed his lips to hers and started to take control once again. This act was something that he knew what to do, but everything else that she was showing him was all a bit new, making him a bit nervous and different from his usual self. While he was reviewing his comfort zone, Nami made her way to his vest and started to unbutton the three buttons.

At first, her fingers were cold to his bare chest, but as they both ventured outside their comfort zones, the touch didn't feel cold. His skin felt inflamed with her touch now and he knew that she felt the same way as he continued to kiss all over her neck and chest. But, there was something else that his body was telling him to do. Something internally was telling him that he wasn't satisfied yet. So, he made his way back down to her stomach and saw that she was still wearing her shorts from earlier. Instinctively, his fingers fumbled on the zipper and buttons of the fabric and pulled the article off of her body. He never knew how attracted her long and slender legs were until the shorts were off and they left them bare for him to see. Luffy placed his hand at her ankle and slowly stroked up her calf, around her knee, and in between her thigh. At his surprise, she closed her legs off and that made his attention go back to her eyes. They pleaded for him to venture more, but there was something else that was telling him to stop and don't continue.

He was lost for words as his hand was still firmly placed on the inside of her thigh. So, in order to stay on her good side and continue his new adventure, he smiled at her and caused her to be distracted. She let her legs go and he brought his hand back up her stomach, causing her to laugh at the touch. This was another distraction that he took advantage of and he curved two of his fingers underneath the panty lining. He easily pulled of the little black fabric and threw them onto the floor of the cabin. The blush on her cheeks reddened as he continued to stare at her. He had seen a naked woman before, but for some reason, seeing Nami naked was a different feeling. It was a warm and good sensation that was taking up every space in his mind, but the real curiosity that was taking up space was what was so different between them. His lips met her naval and immediately he smelled something different from the last time that he was that far down south. It smelled bitter and sweet all at the same time and it was causing his sense of adventure to go on overdrive as this was taking up attention in his mind.

He kissed the inside of her womanhood and tasted a salty fluid. It was like the leftover sauce of boiled meat and that only made him want to continue on, but she kept trying to close her legs from embarrassment. She was going to be stubborn when it came to his adventures, so he pinned her legs down with a little more force then necessary. Moving his tongue in and out of the crevice, he sucked up all of the juices that she continued to produce. It was enticing to the both of them from her moans of pleasure to the taste of the salty fluid; he enjoyed them both. There was a small, stiff, hidden nub near the top and felt exactly like her nipple on her breast. He knew that she didn't mind if he bit on that, so would she mind if he did the same to this nub?

"Ah! Luffy!" She felt the light nibbling of his teeth on her most sensitive spot and couldn't help but shout out his name. Nami could feel him smile as he continued to lick up the juices that she couldn't stop flowing.

When Luffy was done sucking up the sweet and salty fluid, he looked up at her and smiled. Making his way up her body, he kissed every inch of flesh that he came in contact with; making sure that no spot went untouched. Of course, he stopped at her breasts so that he could play with her before continuing up her torso and started to caress her neck with his lips. Tracing her collarbone, he kissed up the right side of her neck and rested at her jaw line. Her eyes connected with his and they both melted together. It was like they could sense each other's pleasure, their joy. By distracting her with his eyes and smile, Luffy slid his hand down the center of her stomach and stopped at the entrance to her womanhood. By this time, she could feel what he was planning and beseeched with her not to, but he was just as stubborn as she was and he wasn't going to let this go that easily. He easily slid one finger in and explored the walls of her inner sanctum. When he heard her moans grow softer, he slid another finger in and released more sound from her mouth. He could see her lower lip quiver and that only drove him to stop it. Luffy placed his lips to hers and distracted her with his mouth, but that still didn't stop the moans of pleasure and ecstasy. Somehow, though, he knew when to stop before she could let anything escape, so he pulled his fingers from the crevice and licked, taking in the saltiness of the fluid.

Through her quick gasps of air, she placed her hands on his bare chest and could see the muscles that had given him strength. To her surprise, she never really knew that a rubber man could have muscles this deeply carved, but there was no arguing at this point. She liked a strong man, but his strength came from within and this is what drove her to this point in their relationship. She stroked the defined muscles and traveled down to his naval. If he got to tease her like this, didn't she have every right to tease him? Catching him off guard, she pushed him to the bed and kissed him. She hadn't noticed that his hat was on the floor until she merged her fingers into his hair and noticed that there was nothing on top. Since she explored the north, she wanted to explore the south. Nami used the same tactics as he did by distracting his attention with her mouth while her hands left his hair and traveled down to his jeans. He could feel her fingers fumble with the zipper and the one button and was about to give her a helping hand when she was finally able pull the jeans from his hips. She tossed them onto the floor with the rest of the clothes and stared as his manhood popped right out from the stress that the jeans had given him.

As embarrassed as he was, Luffy couldn't help but laugh at Nami's reaction when he was stripped of his last article of clothing. "What's wrong, Nami? Shishishishi…"

"Nothing's wrong with _me_…" She brushed her fingers against the head of his manhood, sending chills of pleasure down his spine and to his toes. Seeing the stressed expression on her Captain's face was exciting and enjoyable to her; it was like she was in control of one of the largest bounties on the sea.

She stroked up and down on the shaft and found that her hands were starting to get hot from the friction, so she decided to do the obvious. Nami leaned down and kissed the head before licking around the edge. She traveled her tongue from the base of his manhood to the top and continued to swirl around the limb. Her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own as she took in the whole shaft and sucked up and down on it. He moaned in pleasure just like she did and she couldn't help but feel a sort of power over him just like he did. Here, in her mouth, she held the weakness of a man who was worth over three hundred million beli. Never in her life, okay maybe not never, had she had this much wealth in her reach.

His member was hardening and she could feel his pulse in her mouth as she continued to please him. All she ever wanted to do was please him from the day that he had saved her from Arlong. Only someone as strong as Luffy deserved to be pleased like this, so she had only one choice to give him. Herself. She never knew why her mother was willing to pay off her debts with her body, but this was a good reason. If it was for someone who truly deserved it, then so be it. He deserved every ounce of her.

She came up to the top of his member and kissed its head before a low moan escaped his mouth and some white liquid erupted from the very spot. Nami knew that he had enjoyed what she gave out, so would it truly hurt her if she tried something that came from him? She placed her lips over the top of the shaft and sucked on the strange white liquid. It tasted salty and sweet at the same time. Did it taste this way to him? After she cleaned him from the top, she could feel the remaining drops around her mouth, so she licked her lips and stared at him. He was looking at her with such pleasure, such bliss, that her mind was made up. How could they go this far and not go farther?

He saw into her deep dark brown eyes and saw that she wanted something more from him, but as always, he had no clue. Somewhere, though, he knew what to do and saw that his hands had moved to her waist and pulled her closer. He pushed her back down onto the sheets and started to kiss her again. She must've been unaware that she had missed some spots around her mouth because when he licked up what she had missed, he nearly gave a bolt of sudden emotion. She wasn't sure if it was good, but he started to smile at her.

"We taste the same." He smiled.

Nami blushed and pulled him, by the neck, closer to him. He tickled her neck once again by nibbling at it and dug deeper. The more he bit at her the more he noticed that little red spots appeared at the places where he liked the most. His senses grew wild as both their bodies heated together. Once again, he could feel some pain coming from farther down and he knew that there was only one thing to do, although _he_ didn't know. Something told him what to do. He sat on his knees and looked down at Nami. She was glowing with the sweat that she, and he, was producing. It gave him an odd feeling, like he was floating on air in the sky filled with stars and she was the brightest one of them. Her knees locked together and once again that frustrated him. He knew that she knew that they both wanted this, but why did she always have to ruin it by second guessing herself?

"Nami, you know I won't hurt you." He purred and at first this sounded sweet enough to let her guard down, but for some reason she felt that if she let him in, he was going to hurt her.

"I know." She mumbled as her breath quickened.

"Then why?"

"I don't know."

"Can we try?" He asked innocently as a flush of red spread on his cheeks. She couldn't help but do the same thing and nod slowly.

Luffy smiled at her before opening up her locked knees. He saw that there was more of that salty fluid leaking out and for a split second he wanted to have another taste, but there was something else that his mind kept telling him. So, instead of going with his gut for once, he decided to use his brain. He moved her body closer to his but so that his manhood was right in front of her womanhood. Luffy eased himself easily within Nami and she immediately let another gasp and moan escape her lips as she felt him inside of her. He felt cramped, though, inside of her and could feel something blocking him so that he couldn't travel and explore further inside. So, he gave a forceful thrust and felt the wall break easily, but as he did that, Nami let out a loud scream that she had to cover with her hands so that the others wouldn't hear.

He stopped immediately, but he didn't take it out. Luffy leaned in and looked down at her as tears started to leak their way out. "Nami!" He hotly exclaimed. "I'll stop if you want me to." He told her.

"No, Luffy…don't stop…" she panted as her tears meshed together with her sweat. "It feels so good…"

He kissed her on her lips and rested his body on top of hers. This was starting to tire him out, but there was an urge to keep going. Even though he hurt her, he still wanted to continue. So, he sat back up and took himself out of her to the point where he brushed against the entrance of her sanctum. He gave another thrust and she gave another moan, but this one, he knew, wasn't of pain but of pleasure and relief. The more momentum that he picked up the more her moans became deep and pleasurable to hear. Thrust after thrust, he could feel something build up inside of him. He didn't know what it was until it was "too late". She felt a splash of something cool enter her and heard her gasp of relief. Nami, too, felt a wash of relief and serenity wash over her as he landed on top of her. Luffy kissed her cheek as they panted together in rhythm.

"Luffy…" she gasped, "I love…you…" She blushed as she revealed her true emotions to her Captain.

"Nami…" he imitated, "what's…love…?"

_Of course he didn't know this._ She told herself and smiled. He didn't understand why she was smiling but joined in anyway.

"Love is an immense feeling of happiness and affection."

He cocked his head to the side, still in confusion.

She sighed. _Of course he wouldn't understand those words. Okay…how should I explain this…?_ Nami took in another deep breath. "Well, love is something that you feel towards another person. You know how you take great care of your nakama and say how precious they are to you?" she asked, trying to see if he was following. He nodded. "Well, love is like something like that only ten times as much to the point where you'll sacrifice yourself for that person." She smiled at him.

"Nami," he hovered over her body so that his weight was no longer on top of her, "I love you too, but I don't ever want you to sacrifice yourself for me."

She blushed at his words, but he meant them. So, she nodded for his sake. Although, she wasn't willing to tell him that if there was anything that she could do, even if that meant sacrificing herself, for him then she would do it.

"Good," he smiled at her and collapsed once again. He couldn't help but feel tired and safe with her. She was just as bad as the ocean with its tempting ways of awesomeness and no matter how hard he tried to tell his eyelids to stay open, they wouldn't listen to him.

"Luffy, isn't it getting a bit colder in here?" She asked as all of their excessive heat was being lifted from them.

"Aa," he dully agreed.

She helped him underneath the blankets of her bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow, she could hear him start to snore and knew that he'd be out until morning. She curled up close to his body, hoping that she could regain the same fuzzy warm feeling that had occurred not too long ago. When her skin touched his, she could already feel the heat return and so she curled up closer to the point where his arm fell on top of her body and the only thing that was touching her was him and the sheets. This was absolute bliss and she managed to fall asleep that night without a worry or care in the world for the first night in the past two days.

* * *

_**This has to be my longest one yet and the fun still doesn't stop. Trust me if you keep reading and reviewing, I'll give you something to talk about for the next few days. So, stay tune for more. (^-^)**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

She could feel the light hit her eyes and knew that she was going to wake soon, but this feeling of bliss was just too much to let go. How could she leave this place of solace? Luffy felt her shift in her sleep and moved his arm to suit her position, rolling over onto his side so that his arm was over her and bringing her body closer to his. There was no noise coming from the outside, not even Brook was playing his music. It was like they all knew to leave them alone.

_When was the last time that I've slept like this?_ Nami asked herself as she sighed in her daze. She could feel the muscles of Luffy's arm tighten as she rolled over onto her other side so that she could peek from her lids and peer up at Luffy's sleeping face. It wasn't like she hadn't ever seen him sleep before, but this was the first time that she was able to wake up with him sleeping in her bed with her underneath his arms. The very thought made her blush and toes curl against his.

He felt her squirm and wondered why she was having such a hard time sleeping. Was she having a nightmare? Or maybe she was uncomfortable? No, she was just adjusting herself. He moved his arm from over her shoulders to her waist so that he didn't have to feel the dead nerves when he officially woke.

As much as he wanted to keep sleeping, the scent of mikans and ink was tickling at his nose and teasing him with Nami sleeping right next to him. He could feel the slight frame of her body underneath him, but he knew that he couldn't disturb her since she was still sleeping so soundly. So, if possible, he brought her closer to his body and shrugged off the sweet smelling scent that seduced him to stay tuned with the woman lying right next to him. As long as this moment was real, he didn't care what was happening.

* * *

It was a bit odd that neither the Captain nor the Navigator had been seen at all this morning, and it was especially odd when the Captain didn't wake for breakfast. So, while everyone went about their usual morning, Robin had different intentions. She went looking for the missing crewmates, but there was no sign of either of them. How could that be? Wouldn't Luffy have noticed the smell of bacon frying? Of course he would; there just had to be something else that was worth his attention.

Then, there was Nami. She wasn't usually a morning person, but she was always up with the sun to set their course for the day in case of any weather difficulties. So, it was only natural that she went in search for them. Unless…there was something going on between them.

Robin was an expert when it came to remembering things, but there were a few things that she hadn't known since she joined the crew after Chopper, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, and Zoro. She was vaguely familiar with Chopper's past since he told her how he came across the discovery of his rumble ball, but the others were all a black haze. Maybe her Captain had always felt something for his Navigator. She was the only female at the time and maybe he developed feelings for her, enough so that he would want to be alone with her. She couldn't help but smile at this conclusion. It wasn't like she was going to rule it out, but the thought of the kind and carefree Captain with the greedy and sometimes cruel Navigator made it hard to concentrate.

Finally, she had made it to Nami's bedroom. Since she was also a girl, it wasn't weird if she was to enter and wake up the dozing woman, but she didn't want anyone to notice just in case. It wouldn't feel right if they thought of her as a sneak, so she knocked on the door first in case that she was already up. When no one answered, she figured that it would be okay if she were to enter and wake her up.

"Nami-san," she started but realized that the door was locked. It wasn't difficult for her to pick a lock, so in less than fifty to sixty seconds, she was able to open the door. The room was still dim even though some of the sun's light reached in through the window, so she couldn't really see too well. She could see though that someone was lying in the bed and figured that Nami was still asleep. "Nami-san, it's time to wake up." She cooed hoping that no one would hear her on the outside of the door.

"Robin-chan, are you having difficulties waking up Nami-san?"

Hoping that it wasn't Sanji, Robin turned around and saw the pearly white of bones that could only belong to Brook. It seemed as though he took great pride in his afro today and really picked at it. He had his violin in one had while the other fell limp at his side.

She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at his question.

"Well, then, maybe some music will wake her up." He suggested and raised his violin to his shoulder so that his chin could rest on the plate design for the instrument.

Before he could lay out a single note, screams could be heard from below. Both Robin and Brook looked all around for the source of the girlish scream, but it wasn't until they saw the bushy black hair of Usopp and the chocolate flavored fur of Chopper did they understand who was causing it. The two nakama were being chased by the cyborg that was drenched in what appeared to be cola. Their attention didn't rely in the front so it wasn't a surprise that they crashed into Robin and Brook, but it was a shame that Robin and Brook didn't see it coming.

"Ow, oh, sorry Robin, Brook." Usopp said as he got back up to his feet. He held out his hand for Robin to take and helped her up.

Chopper rubbed the back of his head while Brook realigned his jaw. Robin turned her attention back into Nami's room and thought that she saw another person inside and shuffled in the bed. Of course, the others didn't notice like she did, but there was always a way to find out if her eyes lied or not.

"Ah ha!" Franky cheered with rage as he picked up both Usopp and Chopper by the scruff of their necks. "Now, you'll have to pay." He nearly shouted without realizing that Nami's bedroom door was wide open.

"I don't owe you anything…"

They all looked into the room and saw Nami shuffle around in her bed, but there was something in there with her because they all noticed that she was sleeping against something or someone. The only possible outcome that Robin could think of was that Nami was sleeping with the only other person that was missing.

She turned to Franky and looked up at the cyborg. She smiled and winked at him, but he had no idea what she was planning. "Franky-san, wasn't breakfast just delicious this morning?"

At first he was confused, but being the second oldest of the crew, he knew what she was trying to get at. Luffy had to be in that room with Nami. He winked back at her, signaling that he knew what she was planning. "Oh, yeah, I sure enjoyed all of that bacon and sausage that curly-brow made." He emphasized the words "bacon" and "sausage" hoping to get Luffy's ears and stomach working.

"Sanji…food…!" Luffy nearly shouted in his sleep while he turned onto his side, so that he faced Nami in the bed.

"Chopper, don't you have some herbs to dry?" Robin suggested, now knowing what truly happened to their missing Captain and Navigator. She didn't want Chopper to know, even if he already did, about what they most likely had done last night since he was the youngest of the Straw Hats.

"Oh, yeah! I do!" He remembered and struggled against Franky's grip.

Robin glanced at Franky and told him, with her eyes, to let Chopper go for his own good. He understood and released the little reindeer, watching as he got away Scott free without any form of punishment for what he did to his latest invention. Robin then turned her attention to the musician and nodded for him to play his violin. He knew not to play the usual since that wouldn't wake them up, so he played his usual morning "waking" song.

"White handkerchief…" He started to sing and immediately, Nami shot herself up so that she could yell at him.

Seeing the eyes of her nakama all around her, Nami suddenly started to feel embarrassed and felt her cheeks reddening from the humiliation. She looked down at Luffy who seemed to be unaffected by the starting of the atrocious morning song. His snores were pleasant to hear, waking her up in reality when she thought she had lost herself into that dream-like world. It wouldn't have been bad if she never woke, but if she had to be without him, it would've killed her. So, once again, he had saved her life. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and soon felt the sheets underneath of her as he pulled her down and pulled her closer to him. Nami couldn't help but let out a small giggle as he continued to snore, unaware of his unconscious action. It wasn't until someone coughed did she realize that they were being watched and since this was a ship with a small crew, it could only mean that it was her nakama that knew.

"U-Uh, N-Nami?" Usopp asked still being suspended by Franky.

She didn't want to be found out so she pulled the blankets over her head. _I hope they didn't see me, I hope they didn't see me, I hope they didn't see me…_ She prayed.

"Nami…meat…Gomu Gomu…" But of course, he had to mutter incoherently. She peeped when she had heard her name in his odd yet curious dream.

Four loud gasps followed by three stifled snickers were heard and when Nami heard the snickers, she couldn't help but get angry. How dare they have the nerve to interrupt her blissful morning.

"Alright, boys, that's enough." Robin started to push the group of men out of the doorway so that Nami and Luffy could be left alone. She closed the door behind her and glared at them. "Don't speak of this." She turned and walked away so she could enjoy the morning sun's light and read.

"Well, now that that's over," Franky glared down at Usopp as an image of a broken cola cannon came into mind.

"Franky, wait! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Franky!" He screamed as he was carried off by the scruff of his neck.

Brook, still a little shocked at what he just saw, started to wander away while playing his violin to calm the uneasiness of the ship.

* * *

After the door was shut and all of the commotion ceased, Nami threw the covers from her face. She stared at the wall where the sun was hitting and realized that some time had passed since they all found out. Knowing Usopp, she figured everyone who wasn't there-Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper-would've found out by now so she slid away from Luffy, reluctantly, and walked over to her wardrobe.

She threw on some black, laced panties and a green bikini top with little palm trees stitched on the cups. Then, she found some tattered, rolled up jeans and pulled them up to her hips before she buttoned up a light pink blouse over top of her bikini top. Nami ran her fingers through her hair and realizing that she needed to brush her untidy hair, she walked over to her vanity, passing her cartography table on the way. A red line appeared in her vision as she peered down to her map. It was an arrow drawn in crayon and she kept asking herself when she had drawn this when something rolled off of the table. She crouched down and picked up the red crayon. Remembering that she would never draw a map with crayon, she looked over at Luffy who was still peacefully snoring away.

_Did he do this? When did he do this?_ She asked herself as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Forgetting that she had to brush her hair, she walked over and sat on his side of the bed. She brushed his matted ebony hair away from his eyes. He looked so young, innocent, and peaceful that she would've never guessed at how "experienced" he seemed. Last night, it was like he knew what made her tick even if she had no idea.

"Luffy," Nami leaned in toward his ear and cooed.

He moved his hand to his ear to brush off her warm breath, but all he found was Nami's cheek. His eyes fluttered open as he realized that she was no longer on his right side but was on his left instead with her face to his ear. She smiled as she took his hand in hers and waited while he turned onto his side to face her. He saw that her eyes were refreshed compared to what they had looked like yesterday from their lack of sleep and overworking, but what really got him was her smile. It seemed to shine brighter than ever today as he woke with her and only her.

"Nami," he gave her that same old goofy grin of his. She smiled even wider in return. "What time is it?" He asked groggily as he stretched out his tired muscles.

"Well, we missed breakfast-" She began but was interrupted when she saw his head perk up from underneath the covers.

"Nani? We missed breakfast?" He nearly jumped out of bed and if it wasn't for Nami already placing his clothes on the edge of the bed, he would've been out on deck naked for everyone to see. She saved him from an embarrassing morning.

Luffy zipped up his jeans and buttoned his vest and in his quest for food, he nearly forgot to grab his hat. He had one hand on the doorknob when he heard someone giggling from behind him. Turning around, he stared at Nami who had a large grin spread wide across her face. She held out her hands and revealed his straw hat that he almost forgot.

"Did you forget something?" Nami smirked and waved his hat to him.

He couldn't help but blush at his mistake and walked over to her. Luffy leaned in and kissed her on her lips before taking his hat out of her hands and placing it upon his own head. "Thank you, again. I knew that I could trust you." He kissed her on her cheek before turning for the door. Luffy turned around when he realized that she wasn't following him. "You coming, Nami?"

She shook her head "no", "I'm gonna work on my map." Since finding out the red arrow, she felt an overwhelming sense of hope in finding her route today.

He shrugged and opened the door.

After Luffy had left, she turned her attention to her maps. The most intriguing was the one with the red line written straight through. It was clearly marked to Kokoyashi Village, but the only thing, besides the calm belt, that gave her trepidation was a large unmarked, unexplored island that ran straight through the middle of the course. There were smaller islands that didn't seem that frightening and another island that looked oddly familiar. A smile spread across her features as she realized what the name of the island was called.

* * *

"SANJI! FOOD!" Luffy's voice was called as he finally came out of hiding.

_So now that baka finally shows himself. I wonder where he's been 'cause it isn't like him to miss breakfast…_ Sanji started the stove as his Captain came barging in.

The first thing he noticed about him was that there was this sort of glow about him. He seemed impenetrable at this moment like nothing could darken his mood. It's not like that wasn't normal, but this was. There was something going on underneath Sanji's nose and he didn't like it.

Luffy plopped himself down at the table with fork and knife in hand, even though he wasn't going to use them. He clanged them down on his plate as he smelled the frying of bacon, fish, eggs, sausage, biscuits, and much more that Sanji cooked since he knew that Luffy liked large portions.

As soon as the bacon started to fry, Zoro walked in through the door with a towel wrapped around his neck and his chest bare. He wiped at his forehead while taking a seat away from Luffy who was going to pig out as soon as the food was on the table. He knew his Captain well enough not to come into contact of him when he was eating. So, he sat down at the farthest end of the table and propped his legs on top making sure that his bare feet didn't come into contact with the surface and hung them over the edge. As Luffy licked his lips with anticipation of the meal to come, Zoro noticed something different about him. There was something odd but obvious about his Captain's appearance.

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro caught his attention, "why weren't you at breakfast?"

"I overslept." He smiled and continued to stare at Sanji who was shuffling between dishes to serve, even though they were mostly leftovers from earlier.

_He overslept? Since when did Luffy oversleep breakfast?_ He stared at his Captain who seemed to finally get his heated leftovers. Luffy would be the last person to miss breakfast because he slept. This was the man, who taught himself how to eat and sleep at the same time, so how could he use _that_ as an excuse? There was something going on with him and Zoro was confused if he should feel afraid or curious at what that might be, but since it was near noon, it was too much to think about before his usual nap on deck.

"Eh, Zowo, is someding mwrong?" Luffy asked, spewing food across the table.

Zoro wiped his face clean of food splatter. _Damn, I can't believe I let my guard down. I'll have to deal with that later._ He could feel the muscles in his face tense as he scolded himself, but once again, he was letting his guard down so that Luffy could understand his conflicting emotions.

"I'm fine, Luffy." He grunted as a new wave of anger washed over him. There was something about his new found happiness that bothered him. Sure, Luffy was a very happy boy all the time but this happiness was different. It was like there was this demon, this beast inside of him that wanted that happiness, that bliss that Luffy had. Why was _Luffy _the only one who could be happy? His head felt like it was going to split into two.

"Luffy!" It was Nami's voice that squealed, but it didn't sound like she was mad or in distress. All three men turned their heads in the direction of her squealing.

Nami burst through the door with a grin from ear to ear. Her smile touched her eyes which hadn't occurred in a really long time as she ran over towards Luffy who was still eating as he watched her every movement. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Zoro could feel his eyes bug out from his sockets. He looked over towards Sanji who had dropped his cigarette into the sink.

"Luffy, thank you so much!" She squealed again and kissed him on the cheek. Luffy didn't take any offense or notice to this as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"Wha fif I woo?" He asked as he took a bite from his bacon.

"You helped me find my way."

"WHAT?" Sanji cried aloud, dropping plates in the sink with a clang. He turned his attention from Nami to Luffy and shot daggers at him. A murderous tension misted the room as Sanji tried to attack Luffy. Luckily, Zoro had managed to sense this and was already behind the cook, pulled him off of his feet and dodging the blows that were aimed for his head.

"Sanji, calm down!" Nami helped Zoro by placing her hands on his chest. "Luffy colored all over my map with crayon. I was going to yell at him when I discovered that he drew a red line all the way to Kokoyashi Village." She explained as Sanji's rage sizzled to a stop.

"See, everything's fine so stop overreacting, ero-kokku." Zoro, trusting Sanji's calm state, released him. He was prepared for a backlash but nothing came, not even words.

_Okay, so he drew all over her maps. That's not bad, right? I mean how could she choose _him_ over _me_?_ Sanji asked himself, ignoring Zoro's last comment.

"Ah, that was good." Luffy burped as if nothing had happened. "Nami," he looked up at her and the very sight sent chills down his spine for some odd reason and bumps started to form on his arms, "are there any islands yet?"

"Well, now that you ask," she pulled out a map from her back pocket and rolled it onto the table. There were colorful scribbles all over but there was only one long, red line that stretched nearly half way across the page. Nami pointed to the start of the line and followed it until it reached a chain of islands. "These small islands are connected to this large one," she pointed to a misshapen blob, "and that'll be our first stop. Hopefully, if everything works, we'll travel to here," she pointed to a much larger looking blob that looked oddly familiar, "for supplies. Then we'll head for this island here," she pointed to the largest blob which was the island that scared her the most, "which we'll have to travel through this river as a short-cut. Otherwise, judging by its size, it'll take us an extra week to travel around."

"Nami-san, why aren't there any islands here?" Sanji asked, pointing to a large body of water with no islands in sight.

"That's the Calm Belt and to evade most of the sea kings, we'll have to use the paddles." Nami folded up the map and placed it back in her back pocket.

"And Luffy figured all of that out?" Zoro asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I don't think he knew exactly what he was doing, but as far as I'm concerned, he had the right intention." Nami smiled down at Luffy but he looked up at her quizzically.

"Uh, Nami, I didn't do that." He told her and her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Nani?"

"I didn't make that red line." He repeated, obviously not thinking about his words. "I drew the other pictures but not the line."

Nami took out her map from her back pocket and laid it out on the table, once again. She looked at the scribbling and saw that they were indeed several messy pictures. Some of them oddly resembled the crew. There was Zoro with three stick swords and Sanji was holding a frying pan while he blew smoke from his mouth. Usopp was kicking up in the air with a poorly drawn Luffy and Chopper. Brook appeared to be playing his violin while Franky was posing. Nami could see a picture of herself with Robin as they drank tea underneath an umbrella. In the upper right corner of the map, she could see two ships that had to resemble the Going Merry and Thousand Sunny. These pictures were definitely Luffy's doing, but the thing that kept bothering her was who had drawn the red line pointing her in the direction of her sister.

"So, what you're telling me is that you deliberately drew all over my map and had nothing to do with this line?" She asked as a vein started to throb in her head.

He nodded "yes".

"Baka," she bonked him on the head and turned her attention back to her map. _Who drew this line?_

"LAND HO!" Usopp called from the outside, most likely from the crow's nest.

"Wahoo!" Luffy leapt from his seat and made a charge out the door.

_That's weird. We should be nowhere near any islands, plus, I didn't even set our course yet. What the hell is happening?_ Nami rolled up her map and placed it back in her pocket once again before heading out with the other two right behind her.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was a small island but that didn't surprise her. What surprised her was that there was another small island not too far from where they were considering their position. She saw that that island was also connected to another and she couldn't help but pull out her map again. The three islands that she had seen were in the same order as the map showed, but they were still missing the main island. Hopefully they would see that soon if they had been going the right way all along, but there was a small part of her that didn't want this to happen.

_What the _hell_ is going on here?_ She freaked.

"Sugeeeee!" Luffy's cheering voice came from the lion's head. Nami looked up and saw that everyone had gathered over to the rails.

"Oh, wow!" Chopper imitated Luffy's exclamation.

"Which one do we stop at first?" Brook asked and looked over at Nami who was still struck dumb at what was happening on the ship.

"That one!" Luffy pointed at the nearest island that appeared to be inhabited, but there was an extraordinary amount of disruption in the waters surrounding the island.

"Of course you do," Usopp moaned as he came down from the crow's nest with his legs shaking.

"Well, you heard him Franky. Let's get going." Nami told Franky who had gained control of the helm.

"Super!" He turned the ship to starboard and plunged to the unknown.

_Well, let's just make this day even crazier._ She sighed and let the air sweep her into this new day.

* * *

"SUGEEEEE!" Luffy's eyes sparkled as he saw what the cause of the disturbed waters by the island's shore was.

Lining the shore of the small inhabited island were massive hoards of yagara bulls. Many different colors were shone as the sun opened up from the clouds. The fish-like creatures smiled at the crew as they, besides Luffy and Chopper, stood on the shore with their jaws dropped. It had been awhile since they've seen any yagara bulls, and to Franky, it made him miss his old family back at Water Seven.

"I've never seen so many." Nami stared.

"I wanna ride one!" Luffy screamed and ran off towards the hoard.

"Me too! Me too!" Chopper ran off after him.

Nami placed her palm to her forehead as she sighed, "Someone go with them so when they fall they won't drown."

"When?" Robin raised an eyebrow and muttered.

"Aye, aye, Nami-swan!" Sanji volunteered with hearts in his eyes.

"Nami-san, is there anything particular that we have to do here?" Robin asked as she diverted her attention away from the yipping Luffy and giggling Chopper.

"No, not really. Luffy wanted to stop at this island, but there's nothing really here." Relieved that she didn't put her map back in her room, Nami pulled it out to show Robin who might actually be able to follow. "We need to get to the main island in this chain and until we find it, I'm guessing we won't run into anyone."

"Is that me?" She asked as she pointed to the scribbling that Luffy had made earlier.

"Please, don't ask," Nami sighed. "Let me know when we can set sail again. I have to go check something out." She walked back toward the ship with the map still in her face.

Robin looked around and saw that Usopp must've challenged Franky to a sandcastle building contest while Brook went and joined Luffy and Chopper. Zoro had rested himself underneath a palm tree while Sanji must've went back to the ship so that he could get his outdoor cooking supplies because he had started to grill some fish. Then that left her. She was all alone and there were only two things that she wanted to do when she was left alone. One, she would read until there was no more light to read and two, she would bother Zoro, but ever since he became tolerant and even liking of her presence, this idea would always appear in her mind. It was relaxing being with the swordsman.

So, since she found it difficult to walk on sand in heels, she took off her boots and walked over to Zoro who was fast asleep underneath the palm tree. She sat down beside him, making sure not to wake him up, and turned her head against the tree so that she could see his face. He looked…peaceful, but there was another presence about him that she couldn't put her finger on.

Letting the new found sun warm her skin, she found that it was most enticing when he was next to her. She could feel his heat radiate from his body and touch her own skin. Oh, how she wished to be closer to him, like all of those nights in the "air". They were always so secluded but at the same time, someone was interrupting them. How could she get him alone so that not one of their nakama could get a hold of _that_ kind of information like how she found out about Luffy and Nami? That was another predicament that she had to handle. It wasn't like finding this news out would freak him out, but he could hold it against the Navigator. She was under some stress ever since she heard about a certain village which Robin was guessing was her hometown by Nami's reaction. Then there was Sanji who was already under so much pain ever since last night when he found out about her and Zoro. It was too much for him to take if he found out that Nami and Luffy were together as well. This crew was more interesting than a soap opera.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

She heard Zoro's voice break her thoughts and turned her attention back over to him. Robin couldn't help but smile as he still had his eyes shut and he reposition himself so that he was resting against the palm tree a little bit straighter. "I'm enjoying the sun. Is there a problem?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"No," he took her left hand in his right and held it firmly in her lap. She could feel the calluses on his hand from his training sessions and smiled at his hard work and how it showed so easily. There were a million things about Zoro that she was proud of and these hands of his were only proof of most of his accomplishments.

"Good," she rested her head on his shoulder and she could feel his body flinch a little from the tickle of her hair. He still wasn't wearing a shirt from his earlier training session and this only made her crave him more. It was like he was teasing her all of the time even when they were interrupted. He could easily toy with her since he seemed to understand her conflicting emotions the best, besides Luffy.

The shouts, at first, of joy coming from their Captain, doctor, shipwright, cook, sharp shooter, and musician were enjoyable to hear but as the minutes felt like hours, neither Robin nor Zoro could stand to hear them anymore. So, gently shaking her awake, Zoro managed to get her to her feet and taking the hand that was already gripped firmly into his walked away from the others. The chain of islands that he saw on Nami's map didn't seem that big so he figured that there would less of a possibility of him getting lost.

"Zoro, where are we going?" Robin giggled as the forest became deeper and he slowed down his pace.

"Wherever it's quiet." He muttered.

They came out to a clearing where the forest seemed to separate itself, causing a large circle to form in the center. The top was cleared from the trees so that the bright blue cloud filled sky could be seen from below as the aroma of wildflowers and roses filled the surrounding space. The wind picked up now that they were away from the direct sunlight and she could feel her body shake from the sudden drop in temperature. Zoro looked over and saw that Robin was grasping her shoulders, releasing their hands from each other. He noticed the wind that blew by but he didn't think anything of it. Looking over at Robin, though, when she broke his grip on his hand made him take thought.

The actual chill itself wasn't bad at all but the surprise of it probably caught her. So, he placed his right hand on her left shoulder and as he walked behind her, he brushed her long, silk black hair away from her neck. He leaned in and started caressing the left side of her neck with his lips while his hands brushed along her arms and traveled down to her waist. Her leather corset cut off midway on her stomach to leave it bare and when his warm hands came into contact with her current sensitive skin, little bumps began to form under his touch. He smiled into her neck as her hands moved from her shoulders to his hands that were wrapped firmly around her waist. He pulled her in closer causing her to arch her back from the sudden heat of his body. For a second, she had forgotten that he was nearly half naked and that they were finally alone.

He turned her body around and she looked up into his eyes. Before she even rested her eyes upon his, she already knew what they asked, craved, needed, hungered, and desired. He forced his lips to hers in a heated passion as she ran her fingers through his untidy seaweed green hair. His tongue smoothed over her lower lip waiting for her to grant him access and as soon as she obliged, he plunged it immediately into her mouth causing her moans to escape into his. Their tongues danced between the two mouths as little openings broke their lock for gasps of air. Robin scanned her hands from his hair to his neck and onto his upper torso while she could feel his hands travel from her waist, up her back while one hand stayed close to her shoulders, and the other traveled further up to cradle her head. Her hair easily smoothed between his fingers as he brushed it away from her face. She could feel every defined and carved muscle as she sprouted more hands from the trees behind him to take in his whole build. He tensed when he felt a strange yet familiar touch from behind but cast it away when he figured it was Robin.

Without breaking their heated battle, he slid his hands from behind her body to the front. He had noticed that the black and midnight purple corset she was wearing was made of leather and it didn't surprise him when he found that the front was made of lace. As he started to unlace the tight fabric, he took noticed that she had skipped a step when changing this morning. The leather top fell around her ankles and she simply stepped over it while she continued to battle him with her tongue and stroked his god-like physic. He didn't submit to defeat but he did break from her lips so that he could nibble on her neck while his hands cupped her breasts. Her breath was warm against his ear as she mumbled something that sounded incoherent to him, but when the warmth left his ear, h could feel the amount of arms double and break him away from her body. She stood over him with a sinister smile playing at her lips as she sat down on his chest. Seeing her trying to take advantage of him only made him want to take back what she stole, so he sat himself up so that Robin's slight frame fell into his lap. He took her hands and held them firmly in her lap, causing her limbs to shatter in sakuras while he took the battle of dominance back to her mouth.

Zoro gently changed Robin's position from in his lap to laying flat on her back. He pinned back her hands behind her head so that she wouldn't be tempted in taking back control. Leaning over her body, he took control and started to kiss down her neck, stopping at her collarbone. The scent of lavender, sakuras, and coffee kissed her skin as he took in her whole person, though they weren't even half way done. Beads of sweat dewed her tan supple skin as they started to blend their emotions together. He looked deep into her eyes and saw that they begged him for him and only him. Zoro kissed the little pink bud on one of her nipples and started to lick around the hardening point. It easily showed itself in less than a few kisses and he moved on to the other. She moaned to his touch as he continued to caress each breast equally.

Trailing his tongue down to her naval and causing her back to arch closer to his face, he placed his hands on her hips where her tight, black leather skirt rested and started to pull down so that her little purple panties showed. He pulled the skirt off from around her ankles and stared at her bare feet. How long had she been going without shoes? She followed his gazed and allowed a little giggle to escape her lips, almost forgetting that she left her boots at the shore by the palm tree. Shrugging off the little notice he continued his attack and took it out on her panties next. They received the same "punishment" as the skirt as he tore them from her person. His hands sent goosebumps up her inner thighs as they made their way in. Trying to distract her, he moved his head up to hers while his hands still remained where they were, right by the entrance of her sanctum. Once again, his mouth blended with hers as he inserted one finger into her womanhood. Immediately, she let out a conciliated sigh as he began to pump harder and harder eventually slipping in another finger to please her more. She could no longer hold onto their kiss as his pumping began to excite her body, causing her to feel too pleased to concentrate on him, but all she wanted was him and that other part of him.

"Z-Z-ZORO!" She screamed, since they were all alone in the forest.

He smiled at her pleasure and exited his fingers from her body. He brought his two fingers to his lips and barely tasted the salty fluid before she grabbed hold of his hand and brought the two fingers to her own mouth. She smiled before placing the two fingers slowly into her own mouth letting her own salty fluid to dance on her taste buds. Robin slowly brought the fingers out of her mouth and back in. She kept doing this and stared down at him, seeing that this was exciting his own body in the same manner that he excited her. Two hands crept up from behind him and pulled him onto his back, holding him there against his will. She smiled down at him as he was the one who was in her possession and he couldn't get away. More hands sprouted on the ground and unlatched his katanas from his side so that she could easily claim him as her own. Resting her hands at his waist, she started to pull his pants off so that she could release his manhood from the stress that his pants were causing. It popped out in a slightly stiffened manner as she came back up to meet it with hunger filled eyes. She kissed the head of the "little" but not so little man and licked around the head. Taking in a little bit more of the shaft, she multiplied the number of tongues in her mouth by four making sure that there was no flesh untouched. By doing this, he was able to stiffen much faster than any other man and thanking nature for this ability, she was able to arouse her man much faster than any other woman.

A low and loud groan erupted from his mouth as he came into her mouth. She wasn't that surprised when she felt the splash of salty fluid shoot through her mouth and down her throat, but she did flinch when she felt the speed that it was shot. Her extra tongues disappeared as she licked up the leftover fluid she had failed to swallow in the first shot. She could see his chest rise and fall rapidly after the sudden climax and it made her want him more, so she ran her fingers over his abdomen, feeling his sculpted six pack while she moved her upper body to hover over his. Her face was close to his as her eyes poured down into his. There was a crazed look in them that made him look like the "demon" he was known as, but this didn't scare her. She had laughed death in the face and lived so why should this scare her? In fact, this only excited her more making her bring her lips to his and forcefully taking control even if he tried to resist against her restraints.

If it wasn't for her appendages holding him down, he would be a wild beast taking control of every action between the two of them. It bothered him that she was taking advantage like this when it should be him who should be in charged of that. Although, it did seem to give Robin pleasure taking control of him, taking advantage of him, and so he tried his little to resist but if he didn't resist, she would suspect something and stop. This was just too good to stop, so he played her little game, toying her for a while until it was the right moment to take back his dominance. She smiled sinisterly as she broke from his lips and slid her lower body down towards his manhood nearly placing her womanhood on top of his head. Using his strong and sturdy chest for support, she lifted over top of him and engulfed his whole shaft, moaning as soon as it stuck in deep. She kept using his chest for support as she lifted herself up and down on him, allowing both of them to moan and groan for each other, but while she was distracted with her eyes close, he took his chance now.

He broke through the stronghold of arms so that they disintegrated into sakuras and he wrapped his arms around her body to keep her from falling off of him. Using his strength as a vice, he brought her body close to his and kept her in his lap while he took control of the pleasure making. With each thrust, he caused her to scream for him louder and louder as his hold on her slight frame increased to keep her as still as possible even though when she moved her hips in line with his, it increased his own pleasure. Her jaw was left hanging open and taking dominance over this, he placed his lips to hers and distracted her above her neck. He could feel her breasts brush against his chest and that drove him to bring her closer so that their skin could mix in with each others like bronze mixed in with sand. Her moans were still felt through their connection with their mouths as he thrust deeper into her until she could no longer take the bliss and broke apart from him. The screaming, though loud, was incoherent and he wasn't going to stop until he heard the magic word.

"Ah, Zor, ah, Zo, ah…!" She tried but failed as he pushed further and further.

"What's the magic word?" He purred into her ear, letting a chill ripple through her frame.

Her eyes nearly burst from her sockets as he finally hit her sweet spot, letting the blissful shock erupt through her whole body. Out of all the men she had ever gotten with, this man was the most powerful, forceful, gentle, and all knowing. Unlike the others, he knew what she liked and how to show it. No one would've guessed that she liked the struggle between dominance when she knew he didn't like being the defenseless, but this excited her. Most men took advantage of her but Zoro let her have her moments even though she knew that he could break free from her restraints easily. It showed a kind of dedication to her that most men would've taken advantage of but not him. He let her have her fun and then when pushed came to shove, he knew what to take control of so that she didn't feel violated.

"ZORO!"

Like water overflowing a dam, he let himself go inside of her and took a look at her reaction. Her body felt limp in his arms and he could see her chest rise and fall as her eyes looked back at his with satisfaction. She tried her best to smile at him but it turned out weakly from feeling the friction between the two bodies. This was the first time since she experienced this feeling that she wasn't able to move her body. The paralyzing effects of pleasure were intoxicating and if it wasn't for it paralyzing her body for now she would want more like a drug. Zoro moved his lips to hers and gently took them under more of the bliss that added on to the experience, making him wonder at what he had seen this morning. He felt like his body was glowing with happiness and bliss and for some odd reason his mind wandered to Luffy and the way he was acting and looked. If his memory served him right, had he looked like he was glowing?

"ZORO! ZORO!" Usopp's voice was heard from a distance, causing Robin and Zoro to break apart from their embrace.

Robin sprouted hands on the grass and picked up the discarded clothing. She handed him his pants first and he helped her off of him. Being drained from the love making, she couldn't hold herself up even with her akuma no mi abilities, so he quickly put his pants back on and helped her pull her panties up to her hips. She was able to tie up her corset while he pulled her tight black skirt over her black panties. They could hear more footsteps approaching and so he hurried over to where she had thrown his katanas and latched them back onto his waist. He looked over to Robin and saw that she looked really weary from everything. Allowing a split second to feel proud, he rushed back over and caught her before she collapsed into his arms. Apparently he was much better at this than he thought, although, he never made a woman faint like this.

"Zoro, there you are!" Chopper cheered after looking for hours. "Come on, we're going to the next island."

"Uh, Zoro?" Usopp mumbled.

"Hm?"

"What happened to Robin?" He asked.

Zoro looked down at his sleeping angel and saw that she was sound asleep with a slight smile spread across her face. "Uh, the heat got to her." He lied.

"Should I take a look at her?" Chopper asked as he started to rummage through his backpack.

"No, no, I think she'll be fine. Let's get back to the ship." He muttered and started to head away from Usopp and Chopper.

"Uh, Zoro…" Usopp mumbled.

"What?" The heat must've been getting to his head since a sudden flash of anger washed over him.

"The ship's that way." He pointed behind himself and Zoro could feel his cheeks flare up in embarrassment. His sense of direction was going to be the downfall of him.

* * *

_**Hoped you liked the ZoRo moment and yes, I had to add in the direction thing. (It's just too funny.) The next island will be the mainland, but you'll never guess what its name is. So keep reading and reviewing and the adventure shall commence. Plus, later on, there will be a HUGE surprise for Sanji. (^-^)**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The gentle rocking of the ship was what woke her but there was still surprise to come when she went above deck. There were no sounds of laughter or arguments or anything that resembled her crew's existence at all. Robin could feel the grass under feet as she walked across the deck in her bare feet and as she explored her abandoned ship, she felt the eerie presence of silence creep up on her.

The silence was excruciating to her. When the crew had found each other after being separated by Kuma, she had asked Luffy and all of the others to never leave her again. And as selfish as that was, they had agreed upon it, but now as the silence took over the ship, she could feel the empty void of loneliness ease into her body once again. Robin clutched at her chest as the pain of loneliness washed over her, sinking to her knees in hopes of solace.

_Where is everyone?_ That thought echoed her entire being as she searched frantically around the ship. She couldn't find a single trace of their existence except for broken arrows, gashes of blood, and broken floorboards. These were all signs of a struggle, but there were no bodies left afterwards and she knew that her crew could handle themselves but not seeing the enemy's bodies left her with a feeling of uneasiness. _Zoro, why didn't you wake me? I could've helped and you could've been in my arms by now._

She let her tears fall down her cheeks as the faces of her nakama seeped into her mind. While her vision was blurred from her crying hysterics, she hadn't realized that their ship was "docked" close to an island. The pain was blinding her from her normal outlook on reality as she didn't take the time to open her eyes, but the pain couldn't close off her ears and as she thought that they were all lost (because she wouldn't think of the other possibility) the small sounds of screaming came off shore.

Robin wiped her eyes in hopes that if it was her crew then they wouldn't see her crying like this, especially since Captain would take offense to it and kick anyone's ass. As the tears disappeared, she was able to see clearer and in the distance on the island that she was docked to, she could see silhouettes of eight other people running toward her. In hopes that it was indeed her crew, she raced to the helm and prepared to take off incase they were being chased.

The screaming got louder as the blackened outlines appeared closer to shore and Robin could make out the smallest hint of green in the air. It wasn't any ordinary shade of green but a light marimo shade that she couldn't mistake anyone for. The silhouettes were indeed her crew and it was all thanks to Zoro's unique hair color that told her so from this distance, but as she figured out that it was her crew, something still bothered her. She counted the silhouettes once more and got the same number, eight.

_Aren't I the missing eighth member?_ She thought.

"-**Rocket**!" Luffy's arm stretched above as it grabbed hold of the mast. He flew in the air with his one arm outstretched while the other carried the remaining silhouettes.

Robin could hear the screams of the others as they all knew what was going to happen. Luffy was going to be the only person who would be left unscathed from his little detour of time. But, what surprised her most was how he released everyone, like normal, but he kept a firm grip around Nami's waist as they both landed on the deck together, unscathed. Although, the other day did bring itself fresh into her mind, and she shook off the little notice as she spotted Zoro with his face still implanted into the grass.

She ran to him incase he needed her help, but like always, he got up like it was no big deal. He did notice her, though, and how she was awake, but there was something blocking his path to get to her. And then it hit him, the whole reason why they were forced onto this island.

Zoro picked up the nuisance by the ankle and held him up so that he could look into the boy's eyes. But when he did so, all he saw was dizziness and dropped him so that he could explain himself to the others.

"Zoro!" Robin called and ran into his arms, surprising him in the very least. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her face into his collarbone, absorbing the drops of perspiration that aspired from the long distance running. "Why didn't you wake me up? I could've helped."

"You were exhausted and besides, we were fine. If anything happened, then I would've come to get you." He placed his hands at her waist and held her there until she pushed away, slightly. Her eyes were a bit red at the rim and he was about to say something until he felt a hard and sharp pain to his leg. He faltered slightly and Robin managed to hold up his weight as he regained his stance to look down at whatever hit him.

"You shitty bastard! Why did ya drop me?" The little boy yelled at him. He had short blond hair and dazzling blue eyes that resembled the ocean; he could've been no older than four and yet he could have such a crude vocabulary. His stare upon Zoro was so familiar that if it was a snake, it would've bit him.

Zoro dropped his hands from Robin's side and crouched down so that he was eye level with the little squirt. The boy's eyes never left Zoro's but because of that, he didn't see what he was about to do. Zoro grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so that his feet hung above the deck.

"Hey, wait! What are ya gonna do wif me? Lemme go, you shitty bastard!" He screamed as Zoro carried him over toward Luffy. Since Luffy was the Captain, then it was his decision to make about the boy.

"What do we do with him?" He asked as he continued to suspend the boy.

He looked up at the Captain and saw no threat in his eyes, so he let his guard down even though he was a pirate. Luffy saw this and knew that the boy meant no harm so he told Zoro to put him down, and since it was Captain's orders, Zoro had no choice but to do as he was told. As soon as the boy's feet touched the deck, he stuck his tongue out to the marimo swordsman and ran over to Nami, to whom he felt a great attraction.

Nami crouched down to meet the boy face to face. His eyes were very familiar to her and his vocabulary had the same feeling that it made her very curious as to who he was. So, she looked him square in the eyes with the most pleasant smile she could conjure and spoke in the most melodic voice she knew, "What's your name?"

Nearly everyone's jaws dropped at the surprise of Nami's kindness toward someone who nearly got them killed on the island. But she ignored them as she concentrated on his facial expressions. The boy blushed and started to twiddle his thumbs to distract himself from her kindness.

But in the smallest voice that he could summon, he spoke, "Sora," and continued to look away from Nami.

"Alright, Sora," she spoke even more pleasantly, "where did you come from? I'm sure your mother is worried sick about you."

"Well, I ram away from home."

"Why?"

"Because my mom was being mean! So, I ram away." He pouted as Nami saw tears starting to form at the corners of his eyes.

"Sora, could you point to where you live?" Nami pulled out her map from her back pocket and held it up to the boy so that he could point to his island.

At first he was a little reluctant but as his eyes searched the map, he came across his familiar island and pressed onto the worn out paper. She pulled back the map and looked at the spot where his dirty finger left its mark. Ironically, it was the exact island that they were heading to next and as much as she wanted to only stop for supplies, she couldn't help but feel the need to return this boy to his mother.

"Luffy, could you come here?" She beckoned him to come closer and like always, he came to her call. He crouched down beside her and looked at the map. She knew he didn't know how to decipher it but the thought that he was trying to give interest seemed adorable to her. But all distractions aside, she had to continue, "Sora, here, told me where he lived and it happens to be our next stop. I know that he put us through a tough time back on the island but could we drop him off while we're there?" She asked.

Luffy didn't hesitate and since he couldn't see a greedy glint in her eyes, he looked at the boy and then back at her before agreeing to it. He could tell when she wanted a profit or not and this was one of the very rare occasions where she could probably careless about money.

"Sanji! Food!" Luffy's stomach overruled his mind now as he focused on dinner.

"Aye, aye," Sanji took the last puff of his cigarette before stomping it out and heading to the galley.

Nami smiled at Luffy's inner child while she put her map away in her back pocket. She felt a tug at her leg though as she looked down and saw Sora yawn widely from their exhausting adventure. So, she took his hand as he rubbed his eyes with the other and led him below deck to where there were spare cots for him to sleep.

* * *

Once she came back from below deck, she made her way to the galley where she knew everyone was going to be. The lights were on inside and when she opened the door, all she heard was laughter and music playing from Brook. They were singing along with the tune, but Nami couldn't help and notice how distant Robin seemed.

So, she pulled up a chair beside her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Nami must've snapped her out of whatever she was thinking about because life suddenly sprang back into her face. She turned her head and smiled at her, but Nami wouldn't let her off that easily. Sighing in defeat, Robin began to tell her how she woke up on the ship alone, "Where were you? I saw signs of struggling and no bodies in sight. You worried me." She admitted sheepishly.

"It's a long story, but I'm sorry that we worried you. When Zoro brought you back to the ship, you looked like you needed some rest so Chopper told us not to bother you. How are you feeling by the way?" With all the food flying around from Luffy's greedy hand, Nami managed to snag a small finger sandwich while Robin sipped her coffee.

"I'm feeling better, thank you, but I still don't understand what happened while I was asleep."

"And like I said, it's a long story and when there are few people around, I'll tell you. Trust me, I don't want to open fresh wounds," she tried to let a light laugh escape her lips but it was just too early for that. Right now, Nami was only focused on getting to the next island.

"Alright, I guess I understand." Robin looked over at the others and saw that some of them bared fresh wounds, but it didn't seem anything too serious. But if what had happened was so bad, then why were they acting like their usual selves? Shouldn't they be acting a bit strange, defeated, or lucky? From the looks of the after-battle, it looked pretty gruesome to be acting like normal and there was another thing that seemed to bother her mind. Who was that little boy and when did he appear? Maybe they ran into him on the island and all of this is a coincidence. Or it could be destiny. When she joined this crew, surprises seemed like an everyday thing to them and one thing was for sure, Luffy never seemed that surprised at these kinds of things.

"Alright, guys!" Nami called over all the others' laughter and fun time to get their attention. "If we want to get more supplies, we're going to have to travel ahead of schedule! So, who wants to stay up all night and direct the ship in the right course?" She smiled, hoping there would be one volunteer, but like usual no one spoke up. "Okay, don't you all fight for the position," she said sarcastically, "Sanji-kun, would you mind?" She batted her eyelashes, knowing that he would jump on the offer.

"Aye, aye, Nami-swan!" His eyes changed to small hearts as he clasped his hands together.

Nami looked down at the table and at the very end where Luffy sat, she noticed him missing. His plate was clean like usual but he would never leave right after eating, so now that the dilemma was settled, she made her way out to the deck. And just like she thought, he was outside looking up at the now darkened sky with twinkling stars to light up the night's plain. His famous straw hat flew back so that it hung around his neck as the wind started to pick up and she noticed how scruffy his hair was starting to look.

She took a spot right next to him and leaned over the rail to stare down at the grassy deck below. The wind swished the grass and swayed it horizontally across the deck, making her take notice that their trip was going to be delayed if they didn't break out the paddles soon, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Luffy's shoulders slump as he let out a large and tiring sigh. It brought her attention back to her Captain who had mysteriously left the galley without a sound, which had never happen before.

"Luffy, what's wrong? It's not like you to leave without cleaning everyone else's plates. Is something bothering you?" She asked, hoping that sigh was a sign for them to talk and not take a nap.

"I…I just…felt bad. I needed to get some air." He mumbled and rested his chin on his arms which were folded on the rail.

"What do you mean you "felt bad"? Is something troubling you?"

"When you asked Sanji to steer tonight, it made me feel bad because I felt angry at him, but I don't know why. Why didn't you ask me first?" He turned his head so that his dark brown eyes poured into hers, searching for the truth.

"Luffy, I asked Sanji because I know he wouldn't mind, not that you wouldn't either, but I would mind if you were out here all alone." She took a deep breath in as his face showed signs of confusion. "I was being selfish because I wanted to be with you instead of you having to be out here all alone." She took one of his hands and started to trace circles in his palm as she tried to not look into his eyes so that he wouldn't see how ashamed she was about her selfishness, even though he had seen her get pretty serious over money before. "I like you a lot more than Sanji."

He moved his hand from hers and pulled her in for an embrace as she felt his laughter rumble in his chest. She could feel his warm breath breeze by her ear as he leaned his head down to whisper something to her. "Thank you; I don't feel angry anymore." He kissed her cheek, sending chills down her spine as she positioned herself in his arms so that she could kiss him back but on the lips.

"Oh, this is too perfect."

Nami spun around on her heel and turned around to see Zoro at the entrance of the galley with his arms crossed across his chest. She could see a smirk on his face as he found out her little secret.

_Great, I guess this is payback for all of those other times, isn't it?_ She glared at him and his smirk only grew wider into a full out grin.

"You know, I won't tell anyone about this…for about a hundred thousand beli." He held out his hand, waiting for the "payment".

"You can just forget about it. Come on, Luffy, you need a haircut." She took his hand and stormed away from the swordsman as he nearly burst out laughing, thinking that he knew a "secret".

Luffy followed her without a word as he made sure his precious hat was still attached to his neck, at least. She led him to her room and sat him down on her bed while she went over to her desk and searched for some scissors. When she finally found the small object, she went over to sit beside him, but when he saw the little blades, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He still remembered the painful feeling of sharp objects and there was no way that scissors were ever going to go near his head.

"Luffy, do you trust me?" Nami placed them down on the bed and made her way over to Luffy who was backed up against the door. Her palm brushed the side of his cheek while she made her way to grab a lock of his ebony hair. "See how long your hair's gotten? I think you need a haircut, and I promise you that I won't cut you."

The warmth of her hand made him remember the amount of trust he put in her and all of his nakama and none of them would purposely hurt him, so he simply nodded as she took his hand and led him back to the bed. She sat him on the edge while she climbed on the bed and knelt behind him on the mattress while she combed her fingers through his shaggy ebony hair.

It wasn't like the long hair was a bad thing. In fact, it gave her something to hold onto but the fact that it was starting to take over his face was a bad thing. She was starting to lose his eyes to his beautiful raven colored hair and she couldn't deal with losing her Luffy to himself, so the hair had to be trimmed. Her experience with scissors wasn't bad but it had been a while since she'd cut her own hair, so she took her time so that she wouldn't ruin it.

"Nami?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you," he saw the last of his shaggy locks fall to the ground and turned around so fast, that if he hadn't been careful; then he would've been cut by the tiny blades. He took the scissors out of her hand and placed them gently on the floor while he went back and entwined his fingers in hers. He bent down and started to caress her neck, once again filling his senses with her mikan scent and the hint of ink Then, he placed his hands at her waist and he could feel her arms wrap around his neck as he moved up to her lips and stole their attention.

When they broke apart for air, she couldn't stop panting but she did manage to whisper, "Any time," before unbuttoning his vest while his arm stretched across the room to shut and lock her door.

* * *

Sanji took a deep puff on his cigarette and exhaled the smoke into the night sky as he watched the water ahead of him. Everyone was nearly in bed asleep while he was the only one who was still awake for the duty that Nami-san had provided him. On night duties like these, it always gave him time to think. The one thought that was flowing through his mind didn't really appear until he was all alone and he time to think about it, but the little boy that they had found on that barbaric island seemed oddly familiar.

The boy's eyes were the main thing that was bothering him because of the familiarity but now that he thought about it, Sora's vocabulary seemed awfully colorful for a boy of his age. In fact, his vocabulary reminded him of his own when he was younger and working in the kitchens before Zeff came into his life. He remembered all of the words that they used in there and thought if the boy was a young apprentice chef as well. It would make sense but he was also too young to be by his lonesome on these seas, especially when he said that he still had a mother of his own. It wasn't right to abandon a lady, even if she was a bit mean to you, but kids do think that their mothers are being mean to them when they don't want to obey rules.

_Heh, give that kid another ten years or so and he'll make a pretty good pirate._ Sanji smiled at the thought until he heard a noise coming from the deck behind him. He turned around and saw a small shadow scurry across the grassy deck and make its way to the galley. Since he had directed the ship in the right course, he guessed that he could go to the galley to stop Luffy's midnight snacking.

He quietly made his way over to the galley and saw that someone had turned on the light inside. There was some shuffling going on inside and Sanji had found plenty of evidence against his Captain this time. So, he burst through the door with fresh air already engulfed into his lungs so that he could scream at him for midnight snacking, but he didn't find Luffy at all. Instead, he could see the shaggy golden hair of the little boy from earlier that day.

He had the leftovers from dinner in his arms, since Luffy had vanished mysteriously and no one could finish and they were running low on food supplies anyway, and he only stared up at the chef. Sanji looked down at the boy and remembered that he was asleep when they were eating, so he sighed and helped him with his large load of food. He gathered the scraps in the boy's hands and placed them on the counter while he turned on the stove to heat them up. The boy rose on his toes to see over the counter but was still too small so only the tip of his nose reached where he could smell the meat cooking.

Hoping that this wouldn't wake Luffy, Sanji added some fresh spices to the meat since it had lost its flavor and he eyed the boy out of the corner of his eye. He could see the curiosity in the boy's eyes which brought him back to when he was younger and still learning the ways of a chef. The same sparkle that he remembered was seen again in this boy's face as he smelled the air of the food.

"Here you go," he sat the plate on the counter and pulled a stool over for the boy. Seeing as he had a hard time getting up on the stool, he also helped him up.

Sora dug into his food like there was no tomorrow and that couldn't have made Sanji any happier. He liked helping people who were hungry and so it never tired him whenever someone ate with such enthusiasm and gusto.

He took a long drag on cigarette before taking a seat next to the boy. There was one question that he was meaning to ask and seeing as they were alone, this was the best time to ask it. "What's your mother like?"

"Huh?" Sora swallowed hard, causing him to pound his chest as the food slithered down his wind pipe.

"What made you want to run away? Was she really that mean to you that made you want to leave and abandon her?" He looked at the boy, waiting for a reaction.

"Yeah, she was mean." He put his fork down and folded his hands together in his lap as he paused to take in a deep breath. "I wasn't allowed ta go outside, but one day I didn't do what she said and went over the walls. I wanted ta play with the other kids, but when dey saw me and saw how clean and nice I was, dey got mad and hurt me. I went home dat day and my mom was mad too. She yelled at me after I was wrapped with bandages and told the guards ta watch me. But a couple of weeks ago, I fink; I climbed the walls again and stole a boat."

"So, is that why you ran away from her?"

"Half why; I also wanted ta find my dad." Finally Sora made eye contact with Sanji, showing him how close he was on the verge of tears. "My mom told me dat my dad was a sailor and dat he was sailing the seas right now. I wanted ta find him and so I left ta find him, but ever since I was on da sea, I've been habing bad luck Im fact, my boat crashed on dat island dat I found ya guys and now, I really really want ta go home," he blubbered the last part as tears started to stream from his eyes.

"Well, crying isn't going to get you there. Eat up," Sanji got up from his place and walked out the door of the galley.

_Who would've guessed that he belonged to a noble family? He should be lucky…_ He walked back up to the helm and took his spot for the night as he made sure the ship kept its course.

* * *

"Land ho!" Usopp shouted from the crow's nest. It was early morning and finally they had reached their pit stop.

Everyone gathered on deck to see their destination, but the only two people who didn't gape like the others were Franky and Brook. Immediately, everyone of the Straw Hat pirate crew knew of their location and couldn't help but gape in surprise at how run-down the island had become.

The port in view was nearly destroyed. There were only three small fishing boats docked and no market life could be found, but in the distance everyone could hear cannons being launched. The sandy terrain outside of the port town could be seen when there used to be such vitality and life blocking it from view, despite the heat and dry conditions.

"Oi, Nami, is this really-" Luffy began…

but was cut off by Sora, "This is the great kingdom of Arabasta, ruled by the Demon Pirates."

* * *

_**Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I've been having difficulties in finding time to write this. I know that you might wonder who the boy is and what really happened on that main island, but all will be explained. I can't give out too much otherwise I'll be responsible in my own spoilers. But now that I'm all caught up in the manga, hopefully, I'll be able to keep things as accurate as I possibly can. Please read and review! (^-^)**_

_**P.S. There's going to be the best surprise next chapter and I hope that you'll forgive me for delaying this update and for its rough re-entering. Enjoy!**_

_**P.S.S. If you're wondering why Sora is four and can speak, not really clearly, and walk and do other things that he shouldn't be able to do for another two to three years or so, then let me tell you. If you've seen Dragonball Z, then you know that Gohan was only four when he was taken by Raditz and trained by Piccolo, so if they can do that, then so can I. And, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then deal with it because it's my fanfic. Plus, you'll like with what I have in store. Thanks.**_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Arabasta?" Everyone, except for Franky and Brook, exclaimed.

Sora looked at the pirates with confusion. "Yeah, Arabasta. Hab ya been here?"

All the men shook their heads with their jaws dropped. Even when Crocodile "ruled" over this kingdom, it didn't look this bad. But the people were all missing and there were constant sounds of fighting in the distance.

"What happened?" Robin asked, remembering her last moments at this kingdom. She hadn't done a good job with this country but she still felt sympathy for its people.

"Yeah, are you sure that this is Arabasta? The last time we were here it wasn't like this." Nami told the boy.

He clenched his fists as he tried to remember the day when pirates invaded his home country. "Pirates came when Whitebeard died. My mom told me dat when I was one, pirates came and started ta hurt our people. But a great pirate like Whitebeard came for food and water and saw how hurt we were. She said dat he said dis land was now ruled by him and no one was ta touch it." He bit down on his lower lip.

"Arabasta turned into a territory ruled by Whitebeard?" Nami asked, still surprised at the news.

Sora nodded silently.

"Gramps…" Luffy muttered under his breath as he remembered the great pirate.

"But when he died, bad pirates came and hurt our people again. Dat's when my mom said I couldn't play wif da odder kids." He ran to Luffy and started to grab hold of his leg. "Pwease, take me ta see my mom! I need ta know if she's okay!" He started to cry.

Everyone stared at Luffy as they waited for their Captain for his orders. Vivi was a great nakama of theirs and if she needed their help with these pirates, then they would more than happy to take care of them for her, like in the past. Luffy placed his hand down on the boy's head and smiled at him. He looked at his crew with the same smile, but his eyes changed to curiosity and excitement. Everyone knew this look of his and smiled back at him.

"Hey, Sora, are you ready for an adventure? Shishishishi," Luffy laughed and looked out toward the once great kingdom of Arabasta with excitement and anticipation.

* * *

They docked in the lonesome harbor and saw that no one was living in this town. Only dust rolled by as they split up to search for more information, but when they all met back up at their rendezvous point, a.k.a the ship, no one had found anything. They were running low on food supplies and they needed to get more cola for the paddles if they were going to continue their original mission. So, seeing this town as a lost they went back on the ship and continued up the river that split the country in two.

If they wanted the correct information, they were going to have to see Vivi and that was only possible on foot. So, they used their ship as far as they could go and docked in a remote area so that no one would steal it or destroy it.

"Alright, someone needs to stay with the ship just in case, so…Who's it gonna be?" Nami asked, since Luffy was busy stocking up on canteens in the galley with Usopp. (They gets very thirsty in the desert, in case anyone forgot.)

"I will, Nami-san." Robin volunteered. "I don't think this would make a good reunion." She smiled lightly.

"Right, so once Luffy comes back, we'll be off. Sora," she crouched down to his level, "we'll find your mom once we talk with an old friend of ours, okay?" She smiled at the boy and tried to smile too, but his lower lip wouldn't stop quivering.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Luffy yelled as he came barging from the galley with ten canteens all strapped his body. He jumped from the ship and started to make his way into the desert but stopped when he realized he didn't know where he was going.

Zoro jumped down next along with Sanji. Usopp was a little reluctant but was pushed by Franky who also carried Chopper, who was already tired from the heat, under his arm. Brook floated down and Nami took Sora into her arms, like a protective mother, and jumped down into Sanji's waiting arms. Luffy looked back and saw Nami land in Sanji's arms with Sora in hers, but this time he didn't feel mad towards the chef since he knew that Nami liked him a lot more than the cook. But, he did wait impatiently for his nakama to catch up.

"Luffy, we have a long walk ahead of us, so please be patient." Nami told him as soon as she caught up with her Captain.

"We don't hab ta walk." Sora told them. They all looked at him with confused looks but he simply smiled and pulled out a silver whistle that was strung around his neck. He took the whistle and placed it between his lips. Blowing on it as hard as he could, there was no sound to be heard, but Chopper did moan as he tried to clasp his ears.

"Sora, I don't get what you're talking about," Nami told him.

"Just wait. My mom gave me this whistle." He pointed out into the distance and everyone followed his gestured. On the edge of the horizon, they could just see a small dust cloud making its way toward them. But as the figure approached, they were able to see that the dust cloud was being caused by a creature and it wasn't any ordinary creature, but a very familiar nakama of theirs.

A large duck stopped in front of Sora as he saluted the young boy. Sora was very happy to see his friend and gave him a huge hug while the other pirates stared at the duck. Luffy cocked his head to the side, trying to remember where he had seen him, but everyone else knew right away who the duck was and to whom it belonged.

"Cawoo! I'm so glad ta see ya!" Sora smiled at him and turned around to face the others. His grin widened as he saw the shocked expressions on their faces. "Everyone, this is Cawoo; Cawoo, this is everyone."

"Quack!" Carew saluted the crew as their smiles finally appeared on their faces.

"Hey, Cawoo, we need some help so we can go and see mom." He blew on the whistle six more times and just like how Carew appeared the other six ducks appeared as well. "Alright, gang, we need ta go ta da palace! Everyone get on," Sora jumped onto Carew's back and Nami joined him, just in case he was to fall off.

"Yohohohoho! This is very exciting!" Brook laughed as he made his way onto one of the ducks.

"I've never ridden a duck before…" Franky muttered as he weighed down his duck. To the rest of the crew, it was like riding a bike.

"Alright guys, let's go!" Sora took control of Carew and led the duck squad toward the horizon.

* * *

In record time, they were able to see the raised plateau were the palace's city resigned. But, all around the plateau, there was rubble from carriages and weaponry lying around where a battle must've taken place. The scene wasn't pretty as bones of the country's people surrounded the outskirts and the entrances of the palace's city.

They raced through the city to get to the palace and came across half burned down homes and businesses, and very few people were living in the streets. Those people that they passed were also skinny and looked dehydrated from several days without rest. The sun also looked like it hadn't been turned off since the last time the crew had been there. The duck squad was approaching the palace steps but instead of climbing them, they took a right down into another destroyed alleyway.

"Oi, kamo! What's going on?" Luffy called ahead to Carew, even though he knew he couldn't understand what the duck would be "speaking" of.

"Ebber since da pirates came, da royal family moved below!" Sora called back to the others.

"Nani?" Luffy cocked his head to the side, trying to imagine an underground city.

"You'll see!" Sora smiled as they approached a dead end in the alley while everyone else prepared for a collision, but nothing happened except for the stopping of the duck squad.

After they opened their eyes, the Straw Hat crew saw that there was no entrance that looked like it could lead underground. All that was standing in front of them was a solid brick wall. Their eyes never left Sora as he hopped down from Carew and made his way over to the wall with his hand outstretched while holding his silver whistle. He placed his hand on the wall and moved it across the stone until he found a small nick in the patchwork. Placing his whistle in the crevice, he turned it to the right one hundred eighty degrees before turning three hundred sixty degrees to the left and spinning it once again to the right two hundred seventy degrees. The wall shook and split down the middle as dust started to seep into the alleyway, nearly blinding everyone except for Sora who seemed used to the entrance.

As soon as the dust exited their eyes, everyone stared as a new path stood before them. Nami hopped off of Carew and walked up beside of Sora who turned around and smiled at the pirate crew. She took a peek inside and saw nothing but darkness ahead of them, causing her to turn around and see everyone else hopping off of their ducks. Luffy stretched his arms above his head as he made his way over with a huge grin upon his face, as if he was excited for whatever seemed to be ahead of them. Without letting Sora lead the way, Luffy made his way into the dark pathway.

Seeing as there was no other way to see Vivi, everyone else followed after their Captain leaving Nami in the back with Sora marching proudly beside the timid Chopper. Chopper was glad to be out of the heat and under whatever was shielding them from the sun, but the thought of entering a blackened pathway without any knowledge of what really lay ahead of them gave him the chills, just like Usopp who flanked his other side. Sora placed his whistle around his neck just as the entrance started to block them in with the ducks following closely behind the crew.

"So, uh, Sora, how did you know where this place was? Do you live in the palace?" Chopper asked after the entrance closed behind them.

"Ya could say dat. My mom gabe me dis whistle for my birdday abter dis wall was made." He explained.

A bright light was starting to shine in the distance and as they got closer, they could hear people's voices talking in the light. Sora raced ahead so that he walked a little bit in front of Luffy, and as they crossed the threshold into the underground city, they were greeted with a blinding light as bright as the sun itself. When their eyes adjusted, the whole crew had to stop in their tracks so that they could take in a better look at what they were seeing. Lights streamed the walls of the city, creating a day-breaking sight, as houses, larger than their usual measures, lined beside the walls. The city street lined with bustling people as if they were at a market without any acknowledgment of their earth-closed walls all around them. A large fountain decorated with a familiar king who seemed to be holding the hands of small children sprayed water ahead in the center of the town, but Sora didn't pay any attention to this at all. He ran pass the fountain and all of the people who seemed to stop to let him through while they blocked the pirates' path to follow the young boy.

If Chopper hadn't found his scent, the crew would've lost Sora in the city but Chopper sensitive sense of smell led them to where Sora seemed to stop. He stood before iron gates that blocked a large, airy space from the rest of the city. Behind the gates and beyond the open space, they could see a large palace beautifully decorated with bright colors and stone statues in the garden as two fountains flanked the side of the great building. Guards blocked off the gates in front of them, and Sora only looked pass them as if they weren't there at all.

"Sora, is this the palace?" Nami asked as she tried to catch her breath after running through the city to keep up with the little boy's eagerness.

"Yup, and my mom's on da odder side of da gates." He smiled at the crew and everyone except for Luffy stared at the burly guards who stood in their way. The guards overhead the young boy's comment and looked down upon the dirtied "creature".

"No one is allowed beyond this point." One of the guards said with his booming voice, which rang in their ears.

The very sight of the guards made Usopp quake in his boots and made Chopper take cover beside Zoro, who tried to get the reindeer off of him. Franky simply lifted his shades to get a better look at the "tough" guards while Brook cocked his head to the side. Nami felt a cold shiver run down her spine, but as long as the monster three, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, were there, she didn't really feel that afraid. Sanji took in a deep puff of his cigarette before letting a gray cloud of smoke escape from his lips. Luffy stepped beside Sora and prepared himself on "getting" through the guards, but Sora held out his hand and caused Luffy to pause and stare down at the boy.

"I got dis one." Sora told him. He pulled out his silver whistle once again and held it up at the guards. The same guard that warned them took the little whistle in his meaty hand and spun it around so that he found the small insignia on the back. His eyes bulged from their sockets as he saw the little engraving and knew that he had made a bad mistake.

"I-I'm so sorry. Please, right this way." He opened the gate for Sora, but stopped the crew from joining him. "Unless you have something significant to show me, then you will not be permitted beyond this point."

"Dey're wif me." Sora pointed at the gang and told them to pass. As they passed through the gates, Usopp stuck out his tongue at the guards when they resumed their post. "Come on! Dis way!" He ran up the stoned path that led to the palace without waiting for the others to follow closely behind. Sora knocked on the great wooden doors that sealed off the palace from the garden.

Once the others had caught up and there was no answer from within, Sora pushed open the doors and entered. It was especially grand inside with marble columns holding up the fortress and the floor wasn't made of stone like some of the other places but instead it too was made of marble that reflected the lights from the outside. A grand staircase circled upstairs on their left, leading to a balcony decorated with banners that held the Arabasta insignia upon them. The ceiling rose highly above their heads with a single chandelier made of crystal or diamonds.

"Sugeeeee!" Luffy awed as his eyes spun from looking up at the chandelier, and his voice echoed from the high ceiling to all throughout the palace.

"Uh, Sora?" Nami smiled at the boy, getting his attention.

"Hm?"

"How do you know about all of this?" She asked.

"I'll show you." He took the lead once again and started to clamber up the grand staircase, since he was still small to climb up the stairs.

Chopper transformed so that he looked like a regular sized reindeer and scooped the boy up so Sora could ride on his back. Sora thanked the deer and told him to go to the top of the staircase and make a right onto the balcony so that they got a better view of the parlor that they had entered from. Nearly everyone looked down, except Usopp since he didn't like how far up they were, and gaped at the size of the palace. He gave more directions to Chopper and he obediently followed them until they reached a narrow hallway with many doors lining the walls.

"Da palace is also a hotsipital where we helped wif da hurt from up on da ground." Sora told them. "My mom likes ta help out da sick people so we'll look for her here first."

"What does your mother look like?" Sanji asked.

"She's really pretty with blue eyes like mine." Since Sora was only four, he couldn't give a really good description.

"Yosh, let's go," Luffy ran ahead and opened the first door, but there weren't any women in there that gave the impression of Sora's mother.

Nami opened up the closest door to her and saw nothing in the room, so she continued down the hall. Usopp stuck close to Chopper, but when they opened their first door, Chopper saw all of the injured and couldn't help but lend a hoof to the young nurses who were treating them. Franky stuck with Zoro since he knew that he would get lost in this palace and they opened door with only more sick and injured. Brook only opened one door and after being called the devil, he didn't open anymore doors so that they patients wouldn't get scared of him.

Sanji opened the door at the end of the hall and stopped in his tracks when he saw a beautiful woman with long blue hair. She wasn't looking at him, but there was no way that he could mistake that blue hair for anyone other than Vivi. Relieved to find the princess and their nakama, he entered the room. He took one last puff on his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and stomping out the smoke. Vivi smelled the smoke and thought there was another burn patient but was surprised when she saw Sanji standing in the doorway with a large smile on his face.

His smiled quickly faded as he saw her for the first time in about four years. Her hair was shorter than he remembered but that wasn't the thing that stopped his joyous smile on his face. Running down from the tip of her left ear to the base of her neck was a long and jagged scar, obviously done from a knife. Her smile, though, didn't falter as she ran up to the old nakama and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her deep ocean blue eyes found his stunned ones and smiled up at him along with her pearly whites. She lifted herself up onto her tip toes and placed her lips to his as they were nearly alone in a room with a comatose patient.

He remembered the touch of her lips on his as he regained himself and interacted with her lips. They were soft and there was a hint of salt left upon them as if she had been crying, but he kept on anyway since it had been a long time since they've last held each other like this. She broke from him first, gasping as she tried to regain her breath, and continued to smile up at him, but the more she looked into his eyes and re-memorized his face, the more she felt a pain tug at her heart. Tears started to flow from her eyes and Sanji understood that her decision put her through a lot of pain, so he only held her in his arms, seeing that was the only solution he could do for now.

"Sanji, I've missed you." She blubbered between gasps.

"I'm sorry that I left you, but they needed me. You understand, right?" He moved one of his hands from her waist to the base of her head and cradled it for a bit before placing his lips to her forehead in apologizing.

"Of course I understand, but that's not why I'm crying." She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away before continuing, "I've lost someone very important to me, and I can't seem to find him."

"Him? Who is he?"

"Well-"

Before Vivi could continue on, the door that was closed behind Sanji's back was flung open with surprising force. It caught Sanji by surprise but he did manage to throw Vivi onto an unused hospital bed while his face got implanted on the floor. After checking to see if Vivi was alright, he turned around and saw Franky with his hand still on the knob. He looked down at the chef and then up at Vivi who was sitting on the bed with a confused and terrified expression upon her face.

"Oi, could you knock first?" Sanji complained to the cyborg as he rubbed his bloodied nose.

"Sorry, but, uh, curly-brow, is this her?" He pointed to Vivi who seemed to look a little less frightened.

"Well, this is someone who we were looking for but I don't think it's _her_. I'll escort Vivi-chan to Luffy." He brushed himself off while Franky only shrugged his shoulders. He had left, muttering something about losing a swordsman, but the door was still wide open. After Sanji was cleaned, he held out his arm for her to take and with a light giggle, she took it gladly, shutting the door behind them. "Oi, Luffy!" He called.

"Sanji! Did you find her?" Luffy ran from the opening of the hall down to where Sanji was with Vivi still on his arm. His smile widened as he saw Vivi's shining blue hair and petite figure. But, when he was only a foot away, he stopped suddenly. His eyes widened in shock and he clenched his fists as he laid eyes upon Vivi's newly found out scar.

"Sanji, did you find her?" Nami peeked her head out from another empty hospital room as she heard him call for Luffy. But, just like Luffy, her eyes widened as her jaw dropped to the sight of Vivi's face.

Everyone heard Sanji's call and started to find their way back to the crew, but one after the other they all stopped at certain spots to gape at Vivi's new identity. Her eyes along with her smile never faltered as she saw her nakama all return to her, and then some. She smiled wider as she saw Luffy's new nakama and thought of them as her own as well, but when she laid eyes on a small blond haired boy, she burst out into tears and fell to her knees. Everyone's eyes, except for Luffy's, moved from her scar to her sobbing figure as her shoulders heaved up and down. The only one who wasn't stunned was Sora who was also starting form tears at the corners of his eyes.

Vivi held out her arms for the boy and like a magnet, Sora raced over to her with his arms wide open as well. She squeezed him close to her body as he tightened his embrace on her. No one spoke a word as Vivi was reunited Sora, her son.

"I'm so sorby, mom! I pomise dat I won't leab ya ebber again!" He cried, staining her shoulder with his tears.

"Mom?" Sanji muttered as his eyes focused on the boy's shaggy blond hair.

"Oi, did he just say mom?" Usopp whispered to Chopper while he nodded with a gaping jaw.

Vivi kissed the top of Sora's head and wiped her eyes from her joyful tears. When she got to her feet, beside Sanji, she picked up the boy who pouted from being treated like a "little kid". She held on tight to Sora as she shifted him to her hip and smiled up at Sanji who still looked confused.

"Sanji, this is Sora," her smile widened even further as he finally noticed that both the boy and Vivi had the same ocean blue eyes, "your son."

So, if the initial shock of Vivi having a child didn't grab their attention, then this sure did. Sanji had blacked out after hearing of his offspring and crashed backwards onto the marble flooring. Zoro also crashed to the floor as he couldn't control his laughter and Brook looked over to Franky to see if he knew what was going on. Usopp looked at Sora to Vivi and down to Sanji who was still passed out on the floor and finally noticed the resemblance of the pair while Chopper transformed back into his normal self and walked over to Vivi, holding out his hoof, and congratulated her on having a healthy son. Nami did awe at Vivi's pride in her arms and smirked at Sanji's "episode", but when her eyes looked upon Luffy's unmoving body, she couldn't help but drown her nakama and focus upon one thing and one thing only, Luffy.

"Vivi?" Luffy muttered and it was a miracle that she even heard his whisper over all the commotion.

"What is it, Luffy?" She asked, her smile never leaving her face.

"How did you get that?" He pointed at her scar with eyes filled with anger, curiosity, and pure hatred at whoever did that to her while he watched closely as her smile faded and her eyes saddened from the repressed memory.

She held Sora with one of her arms while her opposite hand ran along the scarring line from the tip of her left ear to the base of her neck. He looked up at his mother and couldn't remember the exact moment of when it happened but he felt an incredible amount of anger as he clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm. She wrapped both of her arms around Sora as she let out a sigh she had been holding in for quite some time. "His name is Akuma ko no, Hageshii Senshi." A small tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

* * *

_**I would like to thank all of my readers and reviewers that have stayed with the story for this long. And for those who think that this is nonsense drabble stuff, you know who you are, I would like you to still sick with it because you'll find out soon enough that I'm not just a great writer when it comes to romance but my action skills aren't half bad either.**_

_**Lately, I've been reading the manga Fairy Tail and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm in love! I'm also thinking about making a fic about Natsu and Lucy despite how early I am in the manga. But if I keep up my pace I should be able to catch up before I even put my fingers to the keys.**_

_**Thanks again to all of my readers and supporters and I hope you liked this next installment. (I can't believe how fast I was with it!) Keep on spreading the LuNa, ZoRo, and SaVi love! (^-^)**_

_**P.S Akuma ko no means Demon of Steel. And T-Biggz, I hope that you understand why I couldn't tell you right off the bat. (I don't like to spoil my own writing. :D)  
**_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"It was about eight months ago on the night of Sora's fourth birthday when we found out that Whitebeard was no longer of this world. As fast as the news spread, we began to experience more troubles at the ports of piracy and a week after we heard of his death, a band of pirates decided to take over the "territory". They made it across the desert with ease and found our city. In the dead of night, they took out the guards and made it into the palace where they found Sora's bedroom." Vivi took in a breath of air as she continued on, "His screaming was what woke me and like a mother, I went to the room to investigate what was wrong, but that was only a decoy so that they could ambush me and take me hostage. I begged them to release Sora, but they knew how much I was worth and wouldn't let me do any bargaining for I had no right to talk unless I wanted my son to die. So, I obeyed their wishes and when the guards were able to get back up with my father in their ranks, the pirates were able to use me as their bargaining chip. My father surrendered the palace to them along with all of Arabasta for mine and Sora's safety but he was double crossed." Tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Hageshii Senshi was the Captain of the raid and so it was he who held me in his grasp as they made the deal. Sora was released first to Kohza, who was involved at this point in the hostage situation, and Senshi told my father that he wanted more for me. But, because of the pirates' raids on the coast and ports, we were drowning in poverty as every cent was used for the army to take care of the pirates. As my father begged on his knees for my return, he let his guard down. Senshi took a dagger from his sleeve and cut here," she traced the outline of the scar once again, "then one of his pirates shot my father, killing him before he could hit the ground. I caught him off guard as I bit down on his arm and made my escape from the palace, leaving my father's body behind." More tears streaked down her face as she continued through her sobbing, "This underground city was built the last time we had an invasion of pirates, and we've been living here ever since." She tried to dry her tears but to no avail. "Luffy, we're still nakama, right?"

"Vivi, do you really have to ask that?" Nami spoke up and made her way to her friend. She wrapped her arms around Vivi's shoulders and held her there as she continued to let her tears run free. She looked up at her Captain to see his eyes full of fire.

Zoro had also regained his composure and took his place over by Sanji. Despite how much he liked seeing the cook in this state, he knew that they were going to need him, so he crouched down and whacked him on his head, immediately causing the chef to stir and his eyes to flash open. He looked up at the swordsman and his temper flared as he got to his feet in retaliation, but realizing that Vivi and Sora were both in sight, he held back the revenge until a more secluded time.

Luffy turned his back on his nakama and started to walk down the hall with his fists clenched tightly, his nails drawing blood from his palms. Even though she couldn't see his face, Nami knew that he was in pain at hearing his beloved nakama's story. She wanted to rip out the man's eyes as well, but this wasn't the time nor the place to do so. Nami gently got to her feet and ran after her captain, hoping that he would calm down and think rationally even though he wasn't famous for that. Easily catching up to his slowed speed, she rested her palm on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. She turned him around and looked into his eyes to see his blind rage scream out into her own concerned ones, but instead of letting him have his way, she took him into her arms and held him there.

It was easy to understand his simple mind and right now it was clear to everyone that he would take revenge on anyone who would harm his nakama, but it was inappropriate to do so at this time. Vivi needed help and she would get their aid but first they needed to organize themselves so that no one else would be affected by this messed up world. It would be too much stress on everyone if they were to lose any more important people in their lives, so she pulled back from the embrace and saw that he had calmed but the same vindictive stare looked back at her.

Sighing, she decided that he was too stubborn to change so she grabbed hold of his hand and led him back to the others. Vivi was back on her feet with Sora grasping her leg while he stared up at his long lost father. The thought that his father was a ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate kept invading his head from the past experiences with their kind. The night before had made him look kind despite the his last encounter with a pirate, but now with this new information, it made him feel confused and something else that he couldn't quite understand right now.

Sanji couldn't keep his eyes from being locked onto Vivi's person along with Sora who had seemed estranged now. There were so many emotions running through him but the main one that kept ripping at his innards was the natural feeling of protection. Both of them had suffered because he wasn't around to protect them and now that feeling along with the need for revenge coursed through his body, though he didn't want to show them that in case they felt scared of the hostility that radiated through his very core. So, to show his "calmness", he lit another cigarette and took a deep drag on the end, hoping that he could do something about his indirect mistake.

"Luffy, everyone, you are all welcome to tonight's dinner if you want to stay." Vivi offered her kindness in hopes that they would calm down and not do anything rash. As much as she wanted Senshi out of her country, she didn't want them to get hurt in the process, so allowing them the time to calm down was all that she could think of.

"That sounds great, Vivi, thank you." Nami smiled at her friend and looked over at Luffy who was most likely still thinking of his revenge, which wasn't the most appealing of looks. The pain in his eyes along with the unnatural fury was just too much to bear so she turned her gaze to her other crewmates.

Sanji was also trying to hide his emotions which probably resembled that of Luffy's, causing Nami's heart to ache even more. Her nakama were very important and seeing them in their own pain was heart wrenching to her. Usopp looked a bit frightened than angry like Chopper whose eyes kept darting to the remaining hospital rooms full of sick and injured people. Franky's eyes were hidden behind his shades so it was very difficult to see his emotions like the others; also, he didn't know Vivi as well as the others so he probably wasn't as upset, but like most stories, Vivi's sob story most likely caused him to want to take revenge as well. Brook, being a skeleton, was even more difficult to decipher the emotions, but Luffy's pain was his pain so it was probably the same torturous feeling of being helpless for a nakama. Zoro, though, was the worse to decrypt. He never had his emotions on the outside until he heard from Luffy what they were going to do; it was Robin who could tell what he was feeling without looking into his eyes or waiting for Luffy's response. Either way, seeing the crew like this made Nami want to exact her revenge as well, despite all of her common sense.

Vivi scooped Sora up into her arms and looked over at Sanji. He seemed tuned out from the world at this point, so she turned her attention to Luffy who was blankly staring past her. "Luffy," she spoke up, a little more than usual so that he could hear her, "can you tell me of all your exciting adventures since we parted ways? I hear that you've gotten more nakama." She shot a smile in his direction and those simple words seemed to grab his attention and brought him back down to Earth.

"Oh, yeah, I've got lots of nakama now like Franky, Brook, and Robin." He stuck out three fingers as he counted his new nakama.

"Well, it seems that you're short one here. Isn't Nico Robin apart of your crew?" Vivi counted the members who were here and noticed the short number.

"Yeah, she's back at the ship. Luffy, I think someone should go and get her for dinner." Nami suggested.

"Right," Luffy looked at his crew and thought, yes I know he thought, about who to send. "Nami and Zoro go back to the ship and get Robin. She won't want to miss out on this banquet!" He seemed excited for the future food, already drooling at the image forming in his head.

"You guys can use members from the duck squad to get back to your ship and here," Vivi pulled her necklace over her head and handed it to Nami, knowing that she was the most trustworthy with the small object. It was a small silver whistle that was attached to a thin gold chain; it looked like the same whistle that Sora used earlier to enter the village and the palace. "You'll need this to get back into town and into the palace."

"Thank you, Vivi. We won't be long." With that, Nami turned from the crew and started down the opposite end to the staircase while she heard the soft thudding of Zoro's boots behind her.

It was quite easy getting out of the city, but once they reached the outside, it was nothing but stealth. Zoro kept his katanas quiet while Nami was too much of a pro at the whole stealth idea, and so it was a little easier than she thought it would be. The ducks had complied with them and now they were on the open plains of the desert that coated the entire kingdom.

"Oi, Nami," Zoro's voice had snapped her out of her daze as the mission seemed to fly by smoothly. The plains that flew by didn't change, but judging from the horizon, it looked as though they were approaching the ship soon.

"What is it?" She matched his pace and got closer to his duck so that she could hear him better over the thumping and trotting of the ducks' tracks.

"Are you okay?" His face was completely serious with the sudden question. It wasn't like him to be concerned for her well-being, but it must've been her fault for letting her thoughts reflect on her outer features.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She lied.

"You may be smiling on the outside, but you can't hide your eyes. What's wrong? Was it Vivi?" This was the first time that he had tried to connect with her like this. It was hard to put her finger on it, but it seemed as though Zoro was trying to pry something from her. The question, though, was what?

"My façade wasn't too good, was it?" She sighed, still not sure whether or not to tell him the whole truth, so she tried a different approach. "It's all of you. I want to get back at this guy just as much as you guys, but I also don't want you to do anything reckless."

"Are you sure that that's just it? It seems to me that there's something more."

Nami didn't know how to respond to this. Zoro had never put much effort in trying to understand her, so why was he so worried about her now? He liked Robin, so that option was out, but there was something alarming inside of her head as she tried place her finger upon this dilemma.

"What gives you the impression that there's something more?" She nearly snapped at him, getting frustrated at his prodding. How dare he have the nerve to this now.

"You spend all of your time with that damned map and you keep us on a very tight schedule. Luffy hasn't said anything since he knows how it feels to worry about a sibling, but she's strong. We'll make it in time." It sounded as though he wanted to smile at her, but there was clearly no facial differences than usual. This side of Zoro was too new and sudden for Nami to take.

She let her mouth agape, but realized that he was still watching. So, pulling herself together, Nami managed to turn her attention to the approaching horizon where the ship was nearly visible. Debating to herself, she was unsure whether or not she liked this side of Zoro or rather liked his silent and lazy self. Maybe it's no wonder why Robin liked him so much.

The sudden stopping of her duck had pulled her back from her thoughts before being launched off of the animal. Apparently, the conversation had distracted her sense of time and now they had somehow made it ahead of what she predicted. Everything seemed to be splitting from the seams, but she tried to block the past conversation out so that it would seem that some things were still normal.

As she got down from the duck, her head started to spin and she collapsed on the dirt of the desert floor. Zoro hopped from his animal and walked over to her, putting his hand to her forehead, but there was no temperature change. She didn't feel hot or cold, but normal, so he helped her to her feet and she seemed fine enough.

"Thanks, now let's go. We still need to inform Robin and bring her back with us." Nami led first towards the ship with Zoro shrugging his shoulders and proceeding after her.

The ladder was still thrown overboard and so there was no need to call up to Robin, so they continued up the ship's side. Nami was the first to board the ship, hearing nothing but silence which wouldn't be unusual with just Robin on board, but she still couldn't let her guard down. These plains were overrun with barbaric pirates and even though Robin was an intelligent and amazing at combat, there was always a possibility that she could've been taken by them. When Zoro came aboard, a loud thud rang throughout the empty space and a hundred hands sprouted from the floorboards, grabbing hold onto Nami and Zoro while bringing them down to their backs.

When they had been successfully contained, Robin came from underneath the ship, ready to defend her ship, but catching one glance at the fiery redhead and marimo green samurai; she knew that she had accidentally captured her friends. With a shake of her hand, the multiple appendages disappear and sakuras took their place, fluttering all over the wooden floorboards.

"I'm so sorry," she formed a stack of hands on either side of them and helped them back to their feet, allowing the hands to brush off any dust from the bondage.

"It's okay, Robin." Nami looked around and saw that they were, indeed, alone in the desert plains before them. "Have you received any problems since we left?"

"No, it has been very quiet; in fact, a little too solemn for my taste." She smirked as her comment referred to her captain and the rest of the rambunctious crew.

"That's good. Luffy sent us to come get you."

"Why? Has something happened?" Her eyes grew worried and panicked, not wanting to be separated from the crew again.

Zoro saw the fear in her eyes and took her hand, allowing only his eyes to show the good news that she was looking for and not letting Nami to see his caring and gentle attitude. Robin saw his gaze and knew right away that there was nothing to panic over, and so she cleansed her mind of any unwanted thoughts. "I'm sorry; my thoughts must have rushed to conclusions."

"No, it's fine. I know how you feel, but Luffy did want you to come back with us. It appears that Vivi has opened her arms for us once again and decided to throw us a welcoming banquet." Nami explained.

"How sweet; alright, then, let's go." Robin was prepared to jump down already, but Nami had to stop her.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you at the castle. I want to get something." Before hearing their response, Nami headed toward her bedroom across the deck.

Her room was still askew with clothes strewn all over the place and empty ink bottles filling her small garbage can. Her bed still remained unattended and to be honest, she could've cared less right now, especially since Luffy had been visiting her more frequently. Their nights turned into whirlwinds so it wasn't a surprised that her room was a mess in the first place, but it did make it hard to find what she was looking for.

Nami instinctively went to her wardrobe where small drawers lined the bottom of the furniture and where she also kept special treasures that she had found during their travels. She had to dig a bit to find it, but eventually, she found the small ornate box at the bottom of her drawer. It was decorated with small sapphires and small traces of gold. There was a lock safeguarding the precious gift inside and now all she had to do was find the small brass key that came with it.

Before she could continue her search, though, Nami couldn't help but feel a sickening lurch in her gut. She wasn't one for getting seasick, especially since the ship wasn't even moving, but she had this feeling before. In fact, this morning she couldn't help but run to her private bathroom and spill her meal the night before. This had been going on for a few days, but she concluded that it was only because they were running low on fresh food stock and simply waved the thought away.

_But Sanji never gives me bad food..._ The little voice in the back of her head couldn't be shaken from her conscious mind until her stomach did another flip. Setting the box down gently, she ran for her bathroom and spilled what remained of her breakfast this morning into the porcelain bowl.

"I'm gonna set that chef straight the next time I see him." Nami mumbled to herself as she went to her sink and washed her mouth out. The taste wasn't pleasant but that was to be expected (she was starting to get used to the foul taste the more this started to repeat every morning, but in this case, dusk).

A small, familiar creak in the wooden planks on the deck of the ship sounded outside. Her instincts picked up on the sound, but instead of assessing the source, she was stunned into place, staring at her reflection in her mirror. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her complexion paled, and she nearly doubled over with another lurch in her stomach.

_Oh God...This is not the right time for all of this._

She was able to muster her strength again and dashed for her room, picked up the conspicuous ornate box, and hid her form from the opening from her door. Nami cautiously peered around the door frame to see that the coast was clear. Her nerves were probably getting the best of her after all these years as a pirate, yet, she couldn't quite pass this off as nothing. Trying to keep aware of her surroundings, she took to the deck and looked over the banister towards the land.

She could see her duck waiting patiently for her return and let a breath of relief fall from her lips. The state that Arabasta was in was most likely getting the better of her, especially after hearing those terrifying stories, but she's been through worse right? Being separated from Luffy and the others for two years was awful, so if she could last through that then she could last through anything.

"Well, well, we had thought this ship finally deserted but I guess we was wrong. Whatcha doin' here, eh, girlie?" A gruff voice sounded from behind her, and Nami had barely enough time to toss the treasure in her arms overboard before being knocked out by a blunt object.

* * *

"Vivi..." Sanji finally found his ability to breathe after the others had departed to search the area for "adventure". He propped himself against a door frame as she let Sora go and follow after the others, and now they were finally alone.

"Sanji, I'm sorry I never told you, but I had no way of contacting you." She had managed to cut across the short distance with one stride of her long, elegant, slim, supple..._Oh, get a hold of yourself, man! No distractions!_

"That's not what I want to discuss right now." He took a deep breath before continuing, "You could've sent signs of this monstrosity taking your kingdom. There are pirates out there with...garrulous tongues."

"Well, I'm _sorry_ Sanji if _your_ concerns didn't come before _my_ own!" She threw her hands up in exasperation and turned her back onto him.

He sighed, seeing he wasn't going to win, and not wanting a beautiful woman to cry, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and held her tight against his chest. It was familiar despite how long they were separated and he couldn't help but just stay like that even though he could feel the small tug on his arms.

Vivi managed to turn around in his arms and reached up to wrap her own arms around his neck, just staying intertwined like this. His new facial hair wasn't that bad on him, but she did prefer him without it, though what could she say if she wasn't in his life as much as her heart wanted her to be. Her hands ran through his blond hair and immediately thought of their son's same golden locks and how he was lucky to be born with such marvelous strands. This action, though, had caused a chill to run down his spine and she couldn't suppress her smile after the sudden jolt.

"Sanji..."

"Vivi..."

They both had called each other in unison. Vivi's smile didn't let up and Sanji only gained an even goofier grin.

"You first," she told him and continued to slowly stroke his hair.

"Vivi..._I__'m_ sorry. If I had only known, I wouldn't have left. I would've stayed here and taken care of you and Sora, but now that I know, I'm not leaving." His face seemed to be getting closer but Vivi had placed a small, dainty finger to his lips to stop him.

"No."

"No? What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you're sorry so there's no need in apologizing. Even if you knew, you wouldn't have stayed." She told him, the love never leaving her gaze.

"That's not true-" He tried to object but it was out of the question for she pressed her lips to his. She deepened the kiss by taking fistfuls of his hair and locking his head in place. There was no more objection as he kissed back and locked his arms around her waist, making the death-lock between the both of them that much more secure.

Though she didn't want to, Vivi backed away first and smiled up at him. "Yes, you would have and there's no denying it. I wouldn't have let you stayed anyway, so that's settled. I want you to be happy and without any worry, and if you were to settle down so early, well, that wouldn't make you happy. Explore the world and when you done and tired, there will always be a place for you to return to no matter what. Don't be chained down in one place, Sanji, for you are a free spirit and deserve to see the world. And don't forget, there is still All Blue to see."

"Vivi..." He was absolutely stunned by her words. Everything she had said was true despite the part where he wouldn't have stayed, but if she was going to throw him out anyway, where was the part in arguing?

"Come to me after your journey, and then we can save all the time left in the world talking about your adventures and mine. We'll be together then, and even now, but there is one thing that I would like from you before you leave."

"What is it?"

Her eyes sparkled then, and for that moment, Sanji was a bit afraid at what it might be, but her eyes soon softened at his question. "I want one peaceful night with you."

For once, his face highlighted a crimson hue, not from lust or his own lecherous mind but from pure love that he felt. It was a strange emotion for him, but it didn't feel wrong.

"Come on. I need help with the banquet." She had untangled them in an instant and took his hand to lead him down to the kitchens, all the while his mind was still lost with her last request.

* * *

Luffy trusted both Zoro and Nami to return, that wasn't so hard to keep his nerves down with, but there was something itching at the back of his head. No harm would come to his crew, especially since they were all stronger than they had been a few years ago, but yet this damn feeling wouldn't disappear from his system.

He had climbed to the highest point of the underground castle and watched towards the entrance of the buried city. It would take time to reach Sunny and then return so he had prepared himself for a long wait, but being caught in his thoughts had taken much of the time away. Though, his heart did leap when he only saw one duck come back instead of two, and to make matters worse, he could only detect that it was Zoro from his unusual mop of broccoli green hair.

His stomach grumbled at this thought, but he barely noticed it as he made his descent down the castle's peak. Being rubber came in handy, especially when he wanted to avoid physical damage by taking too many stairs at a time that would've made most men scream out in outstretched pain.

"Zoro! Robin!" Luffy called as the two pirates came into view with no Nami in sight. "Where's Nami?"

Zoro hopped off of the duck first and helped Robin down with one hand after him. Robin slicked back the loose strands of her hair before looking over her shoulder, awaiting for the said redhead in question. "I don't know. She said to go on without her while she got something and then disappeared on Sunny. I thought she was right behind us..." Her voice trailed off.

But Robin's words were soon forgotten as familiar padded feet sounded above the noise of the buried city. In the distance, the three crewmates could see a duck running at full speed as it made its way back to the palace. Luffy's uneasy feeling had faltered for a moment, but his eyes adjusted quickly to the sight of the duck.

It was empty with only a single piece of parchment sticking out from its bill.

_No Nami._ His heart leapt and the duck was soon in the courtyard in front of the trio. Luffy was frozen solid as his eyes didn't leave the duck's bill with which the parchment was protruding from.

Robin was closest to the duck and pulled the piece of paper from its mouth. She patted its head in a kind gesture and unfolded the piece of paper. Her eyes scanned the note and as she read, her eyes grew wide with dread and concern as she shook the parchment in her grasp.

Not trying to be rude, Luffy grabbed the piece of paper before his heart ripped through his very chest. But that was a wrong move on his part. Instead of leaping from his chest, his heart sank to the bottom of his being before being jolted back alive with rage.

Straw Hat,

Got your _precious _nakama and if you don't want harm to come to her, you better be prepared to surrender your entire crew and loose your life.

With best regards,

Captain Hageshii Senshi of the Illusion Pirates

"That bastard!"

* * *

_**I'm sooooooooooo sorry for the extreme delay! Please forgive me, especially after I tell you why it was so late.**_

_**Ahem...Here it goes:**_

_**I was already half way done this fic when I ran out of inspiration (which happens to the best of us) and so I did the best I could to regain my muse. By the time my mind was forming the next thing for these characters to say, I was being whisked away to band camp. (Yes, get the jokes out now, but seriously, that stuff's hard business! I play the second heaviest instrument in the marching band and when I got home my arms were well enough to whip anyone who would make fun of this band.) Well, eventually, my life was whisked away to the marching band season and it is like tornado as soon as competition starts, so there was another three months of not writing while keeping up with school work. After the season, this is about November, my closest friend in the world was having problems with her family so she decided to run away to my house for like five months (this actually started in the season and just recently did she go home). She took me out partying every weekend, which were my only days of escape and relaxation. It's not like it wasn't fun, but I was seriously trying to keep up with this chapter! I was also getting new found inspiration for my other fic Dragon Tales, so I couldn't help but write that and I was also writing my book, which I still am. I also got into an accident a few weeks ago and my wrist has been killing me ever since so not only can I not type properly, but I can't even draw properly!**_

_**Again I'm sorry for not updating but I'm going to post another chapter as soon as possible. I do promise that it won't take forever for the next one, but please don't be expecting so soon. It's still giving me great difficulty just to type and I do have other projects, though I've neglected this one. Sorry for giving you this information, but persevere! Please keep reading and reviewing!**_


	14. Author's Note

March 8th, 2011

Ah, finally I'm home!

On March 4th, I had awoken at 3:00 a.m to go to my high school where me, and the rest of the music department kids, left to go to the airport. From there we traveled to Philadelphia International Airport and flew all the way to Disney World in Florida! The trip was so much fun and I would do it all over again if I could. We went to all four parks (one per day), did a workshop that involved going backstage of Epcot and put music to an animation of Tarzan, performed in Downtown Disney, and did everything you could possibly do in Disney.

My mom had told me not to pack my laptop to Disney, but I knew I needed something to do on the plane and I figured that I would be careful, so I packed it anyway. I used on the plane ride there, sometimes when I was having down time at the hotel, and then back on the plane ride home. I was able to get away with bringing the most important thing in my life (right now) to and from Disney without losing it. But the one thing about me that I hate so much is my luck. My laptop made it in one piece, but when we were in Florida waiting to go home, our flight was delayed a few hours so that gave me time to charge it for the ride back. In the frantic scurry of cleaning up our mess so that the plane before us could board, I must've done something wrong. I got home last night at about 10:30 p.m, went up stairs to plug in my laptop, but the power cord isn't there. I didn't lose my laptop but my power cord that recharges my computer's life. What terrible luck!

Right now, I'm using my brother's laptop to do my daily things but, again with my terrible luck, I can't write any of my stories. His computer has Microsoft Office and mine had Open Office. I realized after an hour that I can't open my documents with Microsoft Office so until I get a new power cord, there won't be any more updates of my work. I'm sorry to those who read my stories but you'll have to wait to find out what happens next.

Please excuse my idiocy and wait patiently for my power cord. I promise to make all of the chapters longer than I intended to make it up to you guys.


	15. Another Author's Note

2/26/12

Dear readers,

After being away for so long, I'm happy to say that I'll be continuing Voyages of the Sea. I still have a few things that I need to do before continuing the series but this is a definite yes that the series is still a go. I am currently busy with my deviantart account and am in the middle of doing a few commissions as well as continuing my Naruto fanfic. Once I complete my commissions, I'll be able to dedicate more of my time to Voyages of the Sea. Before I dropped off the face of the Earth, I was in the middle of the 14th chapter, so that should be up soon.

I would like to apologize for keeping you all waiting for so long. I know there should be no excuses considering how involved I was with deviantart, but I have been having some problems. My schoolwork has doubled and all the clubs I'm in have me doing a lot of fundraisers. And if that wasn't enough, my family life hasn't been too great either. To make a long story short, I am terribly sorry for being away for...well...forever.

Anyways, I hope you'll keep a watch out for the next release and I'll try to make it interesting. Don't be disappointed if the 15th chapter isn't released right after the 14th because, like I listed above, these updates will be delayed due to the commissions I have on . Once they are done, there should be more updates.

Thanks for reading this and please don't be mad at me. I've been trying really hard to stay on track but it's been very difficult. Just take this as a sincere apology and please be a little more patient.

Sincerely,

Kelsey


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